The Daddy Thing
by Ruinous Crow
Summary: Kushina's early demise changes everything. Who said that mothers were more important than fathers?
1. Prologue

A/n: This work was originally written to give me cavities. No seriously, it's disgustingly cute. If you're looking for action and plot there isn't much of that. If you're looking for a fic that explores how Minato would raise Naruto, that is what this is. Okay you've been warned, so here we go.

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><p><strong>pRoL0gUe<strong>

"_Don't be silly Minato, you'll be a wonderful father. Besides, who else is going to pay for the ramen?" ~Uzumaki Kushina_

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><p><strong>A Death Wrought Too Soon<strong>

**One hour old (Outskirts of Konoha)…**

Minato stumbled slightly as his feet touched the rocky ground of the place of sealing where he had placed Kushina and Naruto. Even a shinobi such as he could not help the slight fumbling of the steps. He was chakra-exhausted, worried, and grief-stricken over what he knew he had to do.

Nevertheless, he was not the Yondaime Hokage for no reason.

A second later he felt the Kyuubi land behind him, uplifting huge boulders as the bulk of the massive beast sunk into the ground. Minato used the force to propel himself to his wife and son, scooping them up in his arms and landing gently on some untouched ground.

"Gotta put up a barrier," the blond haired shinobi muttered, shifting Kushina to his left side while making a seal with his right. Instantly streams of light arose from the ground, forming a dome over their heads and blocking out the angry roars of the Kyuubi from the outside world.

Minato let out a sigh of relief when the task was done, and set Kushina down on the ground.

Naruto instantly started crying.

Minato let out a light chuckle, glad that his son seemed like a healthy baby at least. It would make him that much more likely to survive what Minato was about to do. Minato gazed sadly upon his little boy. Naruto was cuddled in his mother's arms, who herself had her eyes closed despite the fact that Minato had moved them and…

And suddenly Minato had a very bad feeling about this.

"Kushina? Kushina!" He shook her shoulders roughly, but she gave no response

Naruto started wailing louder.

His hand dropped from her shoulder, his blue eyes disbelieving as he searched her face. There was a smile on her pallid demeanor, her lips slightly parted as if giving thanks.

There was a billion things he wanted to say to her, about how she was the one who had made him Hokage, about how if she weren't there, he probably would have died a long time ago. About the fact that he felt as if his world was ending, that he was even _mad_ because she had died before him.

But there was no point to that, now, because it was just a dead body in front of him and the unconquerable fiery spirit of Uzumaki Kushina was gone.

He choked slightly, in grief, and brushed back a strand of her long flaming hair. Minato simply knelt there for a moment, head down and body shaking, tears streaming from his eyes.

Not Kushina, never Kushina. He had seen many a shinobi die in the fields, and as a Hokage he had even sent some of them to their deaths. He had even seen both of his teammates and one of his precious students die.

He had drunk himself to sleep and then some on those nights, but he had always the comforting presence of his favourite redhead. Now though… he honestly just wanted to give up and follow her. He wanted to be with her again.

But no, Kushina would hate him if he did that.

Minato closed his eyes, then opened them again. He took Naruto from Kushina's arms (so limp, so lifeless) and stood.

Immediately he started grafting a seal on Naruto's tummy, ignoring the cries and wondering briefly how the Kyuubi still hadn't found them, but grateful for it nonetheless. His plan was to make his son into the new Jinchuriki, and with the power of the Kyuubi at his disposal, Naruto would be able to take Madara.

And then, Minato hesitated.

He was under no illusions that Naruto would be treated poorly by at least some people. Oh yes, Minato did hope that the splendor of Konoha would shine through, but he also knew the nature of humans all too well. And without Kushina there, who could help Naruto learn to control the Kyuubi?

The lonely father paused in his seal making. He had originally planned to put a part of himself inside to act as a fail-safe in case anything progressed to a point of seemingly no return, but that plan was only feasible if Kushina would be there the next time to help Naruto get completely control of the Kyuubi.

Letting out a breath, Minato quickly changed the seal, and it was just then that the Kyuubi turned to look at them. The red eyes were narrowed in hate, the poison of its chakra lapping against Minato's skin.

And _there was no time_. Minato threw one, last fleeting glance at the one who was his everything, and hugged Naruto tighter to his body. "Goodbye, my love."

No matter how desperately Minato wanted to follow Kushina, he knew that she would never forgive him if he just let his son suffer alone. Minato was going to seal himself inside of their baby boy too.

He would use his body to trade the shinigami for taking with it half of the Kyuubi's chakra. His spirit would stay with Naruto. He could then release his spirit and see Kushina again when Naruto grew old enough to take care of himself. He could wait that long.

The Yondaime Hokage of Konoha slammed his hands together, his fingers going through a vast amount of intricate designs. He ignored the thunderous roars of the Kyuubi and the choking malevolent chakra that flowed from it like a deadly cloak. He instead focused all his attention on the jutsu he was about to complete; he had to focus if he wanted to do it right.

"Dead Demon Seal!"

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><p><strong>The Little Old Lady Who Could<strong>

**Eleven months old (Konoha Orphanage)…**

Chosi Kimiko wasn't superstitious by any means, but sometimes when she passed by the blue eyed, blond haired angel, she wondered.

Kimiko was a little old lady of seventy, and had spent most of her life nursing in the Konoha Orphanage. She had never been a beauty, but she had been gentle and kind enough to snag a few suitors in her prime.

However, she'd never taken the young men up on their offers of marriage and a large house all for themselves, because quite frankly, she knew she could never leave the children to themselves.

The amount of times the orphanage almost burned down because somebody had left a sweater over the table lamp, or somebody wanted to try cooking when they couldn't even reach the pot, or even when somebody tried to burn their school project to give it an authentic look but _really_ didn't know how to use matches… well, let's just say that it was more than all the fingers and toes of the nurses present at the orphanage. Combined.

When the younger nurses asked if Kimiko regretted it, she had always laughingly replied 'no', because what more was there to life than helping the small children that had no one to help them?

Besides, she had fallen in love with the place long before any man could have hoped to take her heart. And even now, when by all rights she should have retired and lived a nice quiet life in a home for the old people, she couldn't bring herself to leave the place.

And so she stayed on as a nurse, much slower now and no longer able to keep up with the hurling boys but filled with the same love she had when she was twenty. The children were very aware of her too, always carrying her books for her or holding open the door when she passed them. She thought it was the sweetest thing.

Every now and again her back would ache and her bones would grind to a halt, and she would have to take a day or two off to be in her bed. Those days were painful, but once, a small class from the orphanage had decided to visit her while she were in this state and had sung the dastardliest little song she had ever heard. They had even given her a card.

Now whenever she had a Bad Day, all she would have to do was look at the cut out piece of construction paper with the sloppy crayon signatures of the children and she would feel her pain melt away.

She cared equally for all the children, but she had to admit that when the bawling, whisker cheeked, blond haired angel was brought in the day after the Kyuubi attack, he had found a special place in her heart.

And she knew that he needed a special place from her, because he had already gotten enough 'special places' from the others that weren't given the kindest format.

One hour after the Kyuubi attack, it had been jubilation as everyone learned that the threat was over and that they were _alive_.

Two hours after the Kyuubi attack, people started to realize that no, not everybody was in fact alive, including their beloved Yondaime, and grief struck Konoha.

Three hours afterwards, and everybody had somehow found out that the Kyuubi was in fact not dead, and was actually in the form of a newborn baby.

The Sandaime had done a massive speech and had managed to quell the anger for the moment, and although Kimiko didn't understand most of it, what she did understand was that little Naruto was the only thing keeping the Kyuubi from coming back. The very next day, the Sandaime placed little Naruto in the Konoha Orphanage, with guards. Kimiko didn't see any of the guards, but she had overheard the Sandaime assuring the orphanage matron that they were there, and Kimiko trusted the Sandaime.

Of course, the influx of orphans after the Kyuubi attack was enormous, and Kimiko had found even herself asked to work overtime to accommodate all of them. After the first day that he was brought here, she hadn't been able to see their little savior for three months. And what a mistake that was.

When she finally found a little time out of her schedule to visit their little savior, she was surprised to find that he'd been sectioned off from the other children.

"Why's he not with the other babies?" She'd asked, not very pleased with this arrangement. While it was true that he was their savior, she did not believe that he should be receiving any special treatment. It would only serve to bloat his head. She had raised enough children to see that clearly.

The head of the orphanage had simply raised a brow, and then uttered the single worst sentence that Kimiko had ever heard. And she had heard a lot, in her lifetime. "Do you want the others to be corrupted by him?"

Kimiko had been flabbergasted. Somehow the patron of the orphanage believed that their little savior was somehow the Kyuubi reincarnated, despite the very clear speech the Sandaime had given. Kimiko had pointed this out, but the orphanage head had refused to listen.

"Keeping that thing is a threat to our safety," the head had said, "and I wish you would realize that."

"The threat's about as relevant as the sea cow," Kimiko had muttered, but had left anyway. She knew she couldn't argue with the one who allowed her in this orphanage in the first place.

When Kimiko complained to the others about the patron's unreasonable stance, she'd been surprised to find that _she_ was the one whom they thought was crazy.

"You're just too kind, Chosi-san," one of the nurses whom Kimiko had thought of like a daughter had said to her, her young blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Much too kind."

If it weren't so sad for Naruto, it'd have almost been funny. As it was, Kimiko just barely managed to keep in her choked laughter.

After that day, she resolved to see their little savior more often. Kimiko was old, and she knew how human nature worked. She knew that she couldn't possibly hope to convince the others that little Naruto was not someone to be wary of. Something like that was beyond her power.

What was within her power however, was the little things that she could do for Naruto. Whenever she had any free time she would check up on him, holding him despite her frail arms and cooing with him despite her sore throat. Nobody else would do so, after all.

The others fed him and they changed his diapers, and Kimiko had to admit that despite their hate and wariness, they did not neglect the baby in any physical way.

But, they failed to realize that a key component to raising any child was love and attention, something which they were very slow to give. Either that, or they just refused to acknowledge that Naruto was a child like any other.

So it was solely up to Kimiko to give their little savior the affection he deserved. And it was in those months that she noticed something very odd about him. She tried her best with him, but even she knew that it was not nearly enough. By all rights he should have been developing much later than the other children, because a baby's development depended mainly on the amount of attention they received and with the miniscule amount of time Kimiko was actually able to visit little Naruto, he should have been months late in his understanding of the world. He wasn't, however.

He was in fact, impossibly ahead of the other children in the orphanage.

She wondered at this strange phenomenon and couldn't help the creeping doubt that maybe, just maybe, the others were right about him being the Kyuubi reincarnated, but then she shook her head and dismissed the silly thoughts.

After all, it wasn't as if he were forming words or anything yet, which in his eight month old state would have been a red flag for unusual. He was simply showing the signs of a particularly brilliant child.

She had smiled sadly at that thought, wondering if his chances for a bright future would be ruined by what he enclosed.

It was at times like this that Kimiko couldn't help but wonder what the Yondaime was thinking when he decided to ruin a perfectly healthy boy's life. She knew better than the praises everybody sang for their 'perfect' Hokage; nobody was without flaws, and that was that.

Nearly a year after little Naruto had been brought in, the Sandaime made an official visit to the orphanage. Everybody was frantic with decorations and nurses were doing their best to force the boys into acting on their best behavior (such a task unfortunately, was deemed as probable an Uchiha dyeing his hair pink).

When the Sandaime did arrive he smiled kindly and spoke gently, complimenting the homemade ribbons and correctly guessing who had made what. He made all the orphan children feel special, and for that Kimiko was grateful. She had to admit; while nobody was perfect, the Hokages came pretty darn close.

It wasn't until after all the children had left that Kimiko had learned the reason behind the Sandaime's visit. With a smile the ruler of Konoha turned to the patron of the Konoha Orphanage and inquired after little Naruto.

Kimiko, who had passing through the courtyard at the time, paused. She wasn't an eavesdropper by nature, but if the topic of the conversation should concern anybody it would be her, and thus she slipped behind a small pillar to listen.

The patron had reported Naruto's status blandly, which made the Sandaime frown a little, but the robed man did not comment.

Kimiko also frowned, noting that the patron had skipped over many aspects of the report, such as the fact that Naruto wasn't getting the mental attention that he needed.

Finally, the Sandaime sent the patron on her way, and turned to where Kimiko was hiding.

"Yes?" The Sandaime asked, a soft smile spreading across his face as his blue eyes searched out her pillar.

Kimiko flushed, wondering how he knew she was there but knowing it was useless to ask. He was a ninja after all, and she was just a civilian. She cleared her throat, and walked out from behind her hiding place. Face to face with the ruler of Konoha she felt her heart skip a beat, but knowing that even the Sandaime wasn't quite as old as her yet gave her confidence.

"May we speak, privately?" She asked, her voice slightly hesitant.

The Sandaime's eyes sharpened, but he nodded in agreement.

"I have time," he replied easily.

And so, Kimiko began to speak. She quickly explained Naruto's true situation to the Sandaime, whose eyes softened word by word, until he gazed upon her as softly as she had seen him look upon their little savior, in private.

"Is that so?" The Sandaime said at the end of her explanation, sounding very, very old, "I've had very many people complaining to me about little Naruto, but I had hoped that the orphanage, where the adults voluntarily look after children… well, I suppose it is too much to expect, isn't it? People are grieving, and it is human nature to scapegoat."

The next day a law went up that nobody could tell the younger generation about Naruto's Jinchuriki status.

"Did you hear that?" She'd said to Naruto as she once again went to visit him after her hours were done, "Now, the other children will treat you normally."

Naruto gurgled up happily at her, making her smile back at him gently. She played with him a little while longer, making sure to pet his hair but not touch his cheeks, because doing so made babies drool, before the dinner time bell rang and she knew she had to go.

"I'll be back," she promised, turning to leave the small room. It was at the very least, painted and lit very brightly, so that their little savior wouldn't grow up in the dark. She left the door open as she left, wanting Naruto to hear the sounds of the orphanage in more of an attempt to get him to learn. Perhaps that was how he was so advanced in the first place.

At the end of the hallway, Kimiko couldn't help but give one last, final glance back at him. His interest had already shifted, his little face twisted in an expression of concentration as he reached his arms out to the empty air beside him. She smiled lightly, and turned away again, walking briskly to the mess hall.

She could have sworn she heard him say 'dadda'. But that was just random baby babble, wasn't it?

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><p><strong>Tittering Tottering<strong>

**Eighteen months old (Naruto's Room)…**

"'ood, 'ood!"

"No Naruto, that's not food," Minato said worriedly, waving his arms wildly as he watched Naruto chew up the wooden spoon.

Naruto was sitting in the center of his own special room, a small metal tray beside him. The caretakers at the orphanage had taken to simply leaving food for Naruto instead of taking the time to feed him as soon as he had learned to eat independently, and only collecting the tray later on. Naruto had finished everything on his plate, but was still hungry it seemed.

"Naruto," Minato said yet again from within Naruto's mind, wondering for the hundredth time if his baby boy even understood him, "That spoon is not something to eat. Put it down."

"Dadda," Naruto complained, finally taking that shinigami forsaken spoon out of his mouth.

It was dripping with saliva, and even Minato had to stand back a little, impressed at the indenture marks that littered the utensil. It was starting to resemble some of the more hard-worn kunai that he had seen during the wars.

Naruto pointed one, chubby finger at the spoon which he held in his hands, "'ood!"

Minato let out a sigh, "No Naruto, that is not food. Food is something you can swallow, remember? Like that lovely um… brown lump that we had yesterday. Yes, that was food."

But Naruto's attention wasn't even on him anymore.

The toddler had plodded over to the right side of the room, no visible wobble in his step as he walked. Naruto's gaze had become riveted on a potted plant sitting on the window ledge, blue eyes wide as if mesmerized. His arm hung limply, the spoon quite forgotten as it dripped off excess drool. And there was quite a lot of excess drool.

Minato ran a hand down his face. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered.

Though of course, initially he had not bothered.

The first of the three months he had been inside Naruto, he had done nothing but grieve for Kushina. After the initial getting over of his pathetic-ness, he had started to pay attention to the outside world. He was still waiting until the time that he could be with her, but he knew that mourning aimlessly would not make the time pass faster than doing something productive, such as raising her son.

Everything he saw was from Naruto's perspective, but his adult mind was able to comprehend much more than Naruto's developing brain could.

He was saddened and dismayed at the treatment Naruto received, but if he were honest with himself, not overly surprised or even mad. He knew human nature well, and had always known in the back of his mind that something like this would happen.

The sound of shuffling feet alerted Minato that somebody else had entered Naruto's room, but Minato's sight was Naruto's sight, and it was currently full of potted plant.

Naruto didn't notice the intrusion, so he didn't turn around and let Minato see who it was.

Of course, Minato already knew who it was even without seeing the person, but still, it would have been nice to turn around and see.

Once again Minato thought about tampering with the seal from the inside, but in the end his good sense won out. He wished that he had some more time to develop the seal before he inputted his chakra and forced his spirit inside his son, but the fact was that he did not have that time when the Kyuubi was almost among them.

As much as he loved his son, it did get a bit tedious at times listening to baby babble with nothing else to do.

And now, with all the time in the world, Minato could not touch the seal for fear of accidently tampering with the restrictions around the Kyuubi. He had never read or done anything from _within_ a person before, and he did not want to risk it.

Naruto's attention finally shifted from the potted plant. He looked around, raising his arms in happiness as he spotted the one who had entered.

It was one of the nurses.

Somehow ignoring Naruto's utter, devastating cuteness, the nurse jerked the wooden spoon from Naruto's hands and went over to pick up his tray. Minato frowned a little at the treatment; despite the fact that something like this happened every day, he was still surprised by it.

"You're not a child," the nurse muttered, "stop acting like one."

With that as her closing statement, the nurse hurried away, locking the door behind her.

Naruto's hands dropped back to his sides, his head dropping. Despite the fact that he couldn't have really understood the words, Minato knew that Naruto picked up on the fact that he was unwanted.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Minato soothed, once again wishing that he could pat Naruto's shoulder or pull Kushina's boy into an all-encompassing hug that would just make him forget about all the stupid proceedings around him. But he could not, so all he could use were words. "I'm here Naru-chan, I'm still here."

Naruto instantly brightened, forgetting his other encounter in the light of the recent one, as babies were wont to do. "Dadda!"

"Yes," Minato laughed, "It's Dadda."

"Dadda!" Naruto beamed, showing off all of his little teeth.

Although Minato couldn't see Naruto, he did manage to catch Naruto's reflection in the window, which was how he knew what Naruto was doing. He chuckled.

"You're getting a fine set of molars, Naru-chan," Minato teased, "those are the signs of a strong boy. You are a strong boy, aren't you?"

Teething had been a nightmare, especially since nobody had really bothered to help Naruto get through the pain, but Naruto had gotten through the stage somehow.

"Dadda!" Naruto exclaimed again, not really understanding Minato's words.

And then, quite abruptly, Naruto sat down, a serious expression on his face. "Dwink."

"Drink?" Minato repeated, blinking, wondering how Naruto was suddenly thirsty after all that potato and apple juice. And then, he realized what Naruto was about to do. "Oh Naru-chan, you have to first find a toi—"

But his warning came too late.

"Dwink! Dwink!" Naruto giggled happily, slapping yellow puddle that had formed. Stuff splashed everywhere, and for once Minato was glad that he didn't have a physical form.

Minato could only smile weakly, not sure what else he _could_ do. "No Naruto, that's not called a drink, although it does look very similar…"

They weren't in the best of circumstances so far, no, but they were surviving, somehow.

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><p><strong>Silent Vigil<strong>

**Two years old (Hokage's Office)…**

The Sandaime sat back on his chair, taking a breath as he took a quick break from the monstrous mountain of paperwork that had been threatening to consume his desk.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only shake his head as he thought back to exactly how much paperwork he had received earlier that day. He had been forced to arrange it all in a pattern not unlike the Hatake family hairstyle in order to get it all to fit on the table.

Idly he played with his pen, wondering if there was some way to push all of the blasted work onto someone else. Surely his predecessors had found a way to do it. Then again, they were a little bit stuffy, and he wouldn't have put it past the Nidaime at least to have actually _enjoyed_ doing this stuff.

A small smile flittered across Hiruzen's face at the thought of the Nidaime. Now there was a man who certainly knew what he was doing. What he wouldn't give to have the Nidaime back again…

The past two years had been hard on him. Even before the Yondaime was selected, Hiruzen knew he had been losing his touch, but it wasn't really until Minato's death that Hiruzen truly started feeling his age.

Previously, he'd been able to ignore it because he had known no other way of life, but when Minato took office, Hiruzen had finally the chance to relax. He finally understood that he was not in top condition any longer, and Minato's efficiency in taking care of the village showed him that he had been in fact, failing to keep up with the times.

At first it had actually made Hiruzen feel a little offended, because a youngster barely out of school had been so much better at doing everything than he was. It also made no small sting to his pride that his favourite for the Hokage position –Orochimaru—had turned out to be such a debacle.

Those subtle feelings lasted until the first two weeks of Yondaimehood had passed, and Hiruzen had realized that there was no one more suited to the position.

Just barely a year after that, the Kyuubi attacked.

Hiruzen sighed, and put down his pen.

That was when all the troubles started, really.

While on the surface it was not so much of a change between his pre-Yondaime days, there was now and forever would be a marked difference. For one, Hiruzen now knew that his days as Sandaime should be over, but there was no other suitable replacement and that made things so much worse. For another, the village was different.

Normally civilians did not take much notice of what their ninja counterpart did, but even they knew of the loss of their beloved Yondaime. He had been widely popular, and in his prime when he died, so nobody really remembered whatever flaws he might have had. It did not help that he went down in a blaze of glory during the battle with the Kyuubi.

Hiruzen was old, but he was far from senile. He heard the whispers when his back was turned, and the villagers clearly preferred the young and god-like Minato.

Of course, they all had kind thoughts about the Sandaime, but the spark that had been there when Minato had ruled was now gone. There was a kind of morale that had disappeared with the Yondaime's death, and Hiruzen was not sure he could contain the leaks made from that.

What's worse, whatever remained of that spark seemed to have reorganized itself into anger. Hiruzen had seen a horrifying metamorphosis of admiration and esteem become rage and hatred towards the very thing the Yondaime sought to protect.

He was of course, thinking about Naruto.

A year ago he had put up a law, due to a very kind old woman's intuition. Sadly, that old woman now was confined to her bed, and could not get up any longer. Still, it was her words that helped Hiruzen to see the depths of the village.

He could only hope that things would change in the future as heated emotions died down and slowly rage faded into painless memory. Perhaps even now the village had forgotten who Naruto was, and would be willing to accept him again.

Hiruzen frowned a little at the thought, noticing something wrong with it. While it was true that he hadn't been keeping tabs on Naruto because he didn't want to show too much favouritism, would Minato be mad that Hiruzen knew so little in regards to his son?

Sure, Hiruzen knew that Naruto was developing normally, and that nobody outside was going to plan a high depth assassination plan any time soon, but was that enough? Wouldn't Minato have wanted him to know more than that?

The Sandaime Hokage shifted guiltily.

The truth was, he had no time, what with village reconstruction and the budding problem of the Uchihas.

But that had been his exact excuse when he was bringing up Asuma, and look how well that turned out. Of course, Asuma was still an invaluable shinobi, but Hiruzen still felt twinges of pain at the fact that relations between them were strained at best, and that they would never be the ideal father and son combo.

Hiruzen was not Naruto's father of course, but Naruto's father was unavailable at the moment. It was true that it would be a little special treatment, since no orphan had a father, but Hiruzen thought that the Yondaime's son might deserve that much.

He would go visit Naruto then, and see how the child was growing up.

Nodding to himself, Hiruzen stood, fluid in his motion. He went for the door.

At the entrance he paused, and looked back bemusedly at his unoccupied desk, wondering how mocking grief about paperwork had turned into an inner soliloquy about the hardships of life. Shaking his head at the intricacies of the human mind (thought his student Tsunade might have known something about that) Hiruzen quietly shut the door behind him and exited his office.

He hummed a charming tune as he walked down the streets, nodding to various people as he passed them. Civilian and young ninja alike waved to him enthusiastically, and Hiruzen could not help but smile back.

Now there were some people who were not kind simply because they wanted something from him. They were not like the blasted squabbling war veterans who aimed to change Konoha to their will, and would not listen to reason as Hiruzen presented it. _This_ was the village he was trying to protect.

The stroll took far less time than he would have liked, and soon Hiruzen was once again in front of the large silver gates the Konoha Orphanage.

Well, the gates used to be silver, anyhow. They were full of tarnish now, and it was hard to distinguish them from iron, but Hiruzen had been here when the orphanage had first been built and he remembered how it had looked them.

Shaking such thoughts out of his head (they did make him sound very old, didn't they?) Hiruzen quietly entered the compound, making sure not to disturb anyone. He wanted this to be a surprise visit after all. He himself was very surprised to be visiting.

There were children playing outside, but he did not allow them to see him. He knew that if he were swamped, he would not have the heart to deny them some of his time. So, Hiruzen stuck to the shadows.

It only took him a few moments to find Naruto's room. The lady Chosi had shown it to him the few times he had come, and although the last visit had been months ago, Hiruzen was not declared to have eidetic memory for nothing.

He opened the door to Naruto sitting in the middle of the room with his side facing the entrance, a tower of blocks before him. Naruto seemed so intent on what he was doing that he didn't notice Hiruzen's entrance.

The Sandaime bit back a grin. Gently closing the door behind him, Hiruzen knelt beside Naruto, causing the boy's eyes to finally flicker up from the blocks. And then, blue orbs widened in realization, and Naruto let out a happy gurgle, reaching chubby arms up for a hug. "Jiji!"

Hiruzen chuckled, and obliged the boy. When he pulled back, he patted the boy's head and took a moment to access the small tower that the boy had made. It was surprisingly intricate, much better than anything Hiruzen remembered Asuma building. Then again, Asuma had never been a particularly active boy on that part.

"Me builth." Naruto said proudly, seeming to have guessed some of the Hokage's intentions and jumping right into answering the unspoken question. The blond was pointing one stubby thumb towards his chest, his other fingers curled into a fist. His chest was puffed up, and he might have almost looked manly if it weren't for the fact that he was so undeniably cute.

The Sandaime's eyes crinkled, "Ah yes. So you are. Maybe you'll even become a great architect one day, and build a monument that people from all the elemental countries will go to and praise."

For just the fewest of moments, Naruto's little face scrunched up in confusion, but just as the Sandaime was about to open his mouth to explain what he meant, suddenly, the blond haired boy's face cleared.

"Yea, yea, me builther!" The two year old exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and consequently, knocking over his tower. His face plummeted, "Aw shucts."

Hiruzen had to just barely bite back a laugh. Life was never dull with Naruto around. He wondered where Naruto had learned some of the gestures and phrases, and Chosi-san had made it clear that he didn't really have much interaction with others, but Hiruzen did have to admit that it made for some entertainment.

Despite himself, Hiruzen felt pride for the little ball of energy. Naruto was a bright child, just like his father. It really was a shame that the village could not see that yet.

"They're the ones missing out," Hiruzen muttered softly, which caused Naruto to throw a confused glance in his direction. Hiruzen shook his head, and decided to change the subject, "So Naruto, I notice that the blocks are a new addition to this place."

Naruto's confusion instantly cleared, as was wont of a toddler. He nodded enthusiastically, obviously happy to share his story, and pointed to the blocks imperiously, "'miko gift."

Hiruzen made an 'ah' of understanding. Slowly but surely, Naruto's room had been filling with things from Chosi Kimiko-san. It really was unfortunate that Chosi-san had taken ill now and could no longer provide for him.

The Hokage of Konoha smiled a little sadly at that thought, and reached out a hand to smooth the edges of Naruto's hair. The little child leaned in to the touch, savouring it, which only made Hiruzen feel sadder. "Would you like some more toys Naru-chan?"

He felt as if he were pawing off time for money, which really shouldn't have been described as a feeling, because that was exactly what he was doing. However, he was Hokage, and he couldn't spare time to take care of Naruto, no matter how much he wanted to. After all, he hadn't even been able to look after his own son and daughter.

Besides, if he spent a disproportionate amount of time with Naruto, people might start to wonder. The villagers would probably figure that it was because Naruto was the Jinchuuriki of Konoha, but the other villages didn't know that, and Hiruzen was afraid that they would assume the worst.

Although Naruto could as of now reasonably pass as the child of any blond, blue haired parent in Fire Country, Hiruzen knew it was only a matter of time before people started seeing the resemblances and wondering. It was best to keep Naruto under the radar until people started forgetting about their Yondaime Hokage, no matter how much it tugged at Hiruzen's heartstrings to let it be so.

Still, if people recognized Naruto as the son of the Yellow Flash, there would be trouble. Hiruzen did not have confidence to capture every assassin that would be sent due to Naruto's paternity. Jinchuuriki were usually left alone as a national affair, but if the other villages knew that the strongest of the demons were combined with the blood of the Fourth, even Hiruzen could not predict the outcome.

"Want sworths," Naruto suddenly said, snapping Hiruzen out of his thoughts.

Hiruzen blinked, not entirely sure what had just been requested of him.

Naruto pulled away, hopping around and going through some rather impressive fencing motions. Or rather, they would have been impressive if he didn't look like he was about to trip at any moment. "Sworths! Fight dwagons! Whescue pwincess!"

Hiruzen let out a laugh as Naruto's intentions finally became clear to him. "You want to rescue a princess, why am I not surprised?"

"It's what thights do!" Naruto sounded indignant.

"And how would you know that?" Hiruzen asked in amusement.

"The booths saith!" Naruto cried out, looking frustrated as he waved his imaginary sword in what might have been meant to come off as a threatening gesture. As it was, Hiruzen just knew his daughter would have wanted to take pictures. "Dadda tolth me!"

The Sandaime had just been about to open his mouth to tell Naruto that he shouldn't believe everything he read in books, when he felt the first warning bells go off in his head.

"Dadda?" He repeated, alarmed. All his previous jubilation disappeared in the face of the new threat.

Naruto opened his mouth, and then closed it. His face screwed up, and Hiruzen felt his heart do a flip-flop. He recognized that expression. It was one that people had when they were holding an inward conversation with themselves… or someone who was in their head.

The Hokage felt his gut clench. If the Kyuubi had gotten access to Naruto already, then the villagers would be right, and Hiruzen might not be able to do anything to save the little boy.

"No Dadda?" Naruto asked, sounding confused, before brightening and bobbing his head up and down in fierce agreement with himself. He made a stance, and then crossed his arms in front of him in a big X, "No Dadda!"

And then, he giggled, ruining the effect.

Hiruzen could practically hear his heartbeat in his chest now. Someone was obviously instructing Naruto to lie.

"Could I look at your stomach, Naru-chan?" Hiruzen asked gently, sure that the Kyuubi would tell Naruto to refuse. If it came to that, then Hiruzen would have no qualms about knocking the child out. If there was one good thing about his level of skill, it was that Naruto wouldn't even feel a thing.

"Doctor!" Naruto exclaimed in an ear splitting yell, hurrying to lift his shirt. He still didn't have complete control of his motor skills it seemed however, because quite suddenly, Naruto went tumbling backwards, his own movement causing him to lose balance.

The Sandaime caught him before his head hit the ground, and noted dryly that somehow Naruto had gotten the shirt wrapped around his head, exposing his stomach but at the same time, completely covering his face.

He gently tugged the shirt off Naruto's head, noting that Naruto was still giggling rather adamantly. There was no doubt that the little blond thought this was all great fun.

Hiruzen pressed a finger to Naruto's stomach, and pushed some of his chakra across the skin.

Naruto started squirming in his grip, letting out a sporadic giggle. Hiruzen knew it must have tickled, but he urged the boy to go along with it for a few moments later. Finally, the seal appeared, spreading out like spillway ink from the center of Naruto's belly.

The Sandaime's eyebrows furrowed as he examined the seal. No matter how he looked at it, he could find no mistake. It was doing exactly as it was supposed to, and it was not coming lose in any way.

And then, he spotted it.

Hiruzen sucked in a breath as his mind brought forth the type of sealing that the array most resembled, and quite suddenly, he saw what Minato must have done. It was slightly dangerous, but there could be benefits to it as well, and besides, the seal was some revised version that probably did more than Hiruzen knew that it did.

After all, it was Minato that was the seals genius, and although Hiruzen was a master himself, he acknowledged that the Yondaime had gone beyond mastering the art.

It seemed as if Minato had given something of himself and Kushina to little Naruto. It looked like nothing serious, probably just a few memories or something, but enough for Naruto to know that he was loved.

It was probably too confusing for poor little Naruto right now, which was why he thought that he had talked to 'Dadda', when in reality all he was seeing was memories, but Hiruzen knew it was also probably the only thing that was keeping Naruto going right now. If there was something that Hiruzen could do to change the people's opinions, he would do it within a heartbeat, but unfortunately his power did not extend to the depths of people's thoughts.

"That's that, Naruto," Hiruzen said softly, letting go of the wriggling blond. Naruto instantly jumped away, running after something on the other side of the room. It seemed that during Hiruzen's examination, Naruto's attention had been diverted yet again, and even a visitor's prescience couldn't keep that bundle of energy still.

Hiruzen smiled as he brushed off his robes and stood. He knew he had overextended his stay here, and that he needed to go back to his office. He wasn't worried this time, however.

Naruto, he felt, would do just fine.


	2. Two Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years Old<strong>

"_Heh, you've somehow become more adapt at sneaking off than I am. Does that mean you're hiding something, eh Minato? HahA, finally. I'd have been mortified if a student of mine turned out asexual like Pasty Face." ~Jiraiya_

* * *

><p><strong>Escape from Prison<strong>

…**and two months (Naruto's Room)**

Naruto was staring at the door.

Minato was getting increasingly worried.

Despite dwelling in his son's head, Minato very rarely knew what Naruto was thinking of in any one instance. Yes, sometimes he could follow his son's thought process, but the truth of the matter was, there just wasn't much thought process to a two year old.

Naruto was not a silent or still baby by any means, always preferring to badger Minato for a story or to play with his toys. That wasn't to say that Naruto couldn't be still, but when that happened, it was usually related to a 'brilliant' idea that Minato would definitely have stopped if he had a physical body.

As it was, he had been forced to watch Naruto almost kill himself at least twelve times, despite the fact that he was nearly always in a room that he should have known inside out by now.

Some time ago, Naruto had been quite willing to listen to anything that Minato said, but Minato must have said the word 'no' one too many times, because Naruto had taken to that idea like a fish in water (no pun intended for his name). Now, Naruto couldn't seem to get enough of shouting the word 'no' at the top of his lungs, and then promptly diving off into another dangerous stunt.

And the worst part of it was, Minato had no physical body to do anything about it.

And that brought Minato back to the present, worrying over what new idea his son had come up with and what it would do to him.

And then, Naruto nodded to himself, and took a step towards the door.

Minato felt his heart flutter at the sudden movement. What was Naruto going to do? Was he going to attempt to set the room on fire again in an effort to become a dragon, or destroy the window trying to throw his blocks like kunai, or, oh kami no, try _planking_ again.

But all Naruto did was walk up to the door, lifting an arm and resting the palm of his hand against the cool wood. And then, he pushed.

Nothing happened.

Naruto's face gained a frustrated expression as he pushed again, shoving all his weight into it. Minato blinked in surprise, having expected something much more hazardous, but it looked as if all his boy wanted to do was to open the door.

He admitted that it had been a long time since Naruto had stepped out of his room. Kimiko-san had taken them out before, but she had not come to visit for six months now, and Minato would not be surprised if Naruto had forgotten about those cases already.

A toddler's memories were short, and it was already quite an achievement from Naruto not to have forgotten about Kimiko-san completely. As it was, Minato knew that the only time he really thought of her was when the Sandaime came over with new gifts, and Naruto wondered why his 'Miko-san' did not give him anything anymore.

Naruto was still pushing at the door, his face gaining an unpleasant shade of red. His voice was loud, shrill in his desire, "Out!"

Minato chuckled. Now that he had determined that going outside might not be a bad thing, he decided to help Naruto with this.

"Naru-chan," he said, pausing a moment as he waited for Naruto to stop pushing and listen to him. Eventually, his boy did stop, panting heavily as he leaned against the door. "Naru-chan, that isn't the way to open a door. Tell me, how did you know that the door led to the outside anyway?"

Naruto blinked, taking a step away from the door and pointing one stubby finger towards his crayons, which the Sandaime had gotten him just two weeks ago. And then, he pointed towards the door, "Gramps go. Nurse go."

"You're so smart Naruto," Minato couldn't help but coo, before calming down a little, "You're right of course. That is where er—Gramps and the nurses come and go. But, think back, did they do anything special to get in and out of this room? Did they do anything to the door besides push it?"

"Uh…" Little Naruto's face screwed up in concentration, but Minato was sure that he would get it. Sure enough, it was only a moment later that Naruto's face lit up, and Minato didn't have to be able to read his mind to know that Naruto remembered. "Doorknob!"

Minato beamed. "Yes, Naruto, it's the doorknob. You have to turn it, remember? Alright, now try again."

Happily, Naruto obliged, and this time he opened the door in one try. Naruto let out a whoop of joy, giving a quick 'thanths Daddy' before racing off into the corridors.

Racing of course, was a relative term. Naruto wasn't quite good enough on his feet to run yet, so he only walked as fast as he could. When he turned the corner, he made a step that was a little too big for his center of gravity to catch up to, and Naruto went tumbling to the floor.

Minato had a little heart attack, "Are you alright, Naru-chan?"

"Oww," Naruto bemoaned, but pushed himself to his feet anyway. It looked as if he were determined to not let a little bruise ruin his day.

For a great deal of time they simply wandered around, lost. While Minato had memorized the routes when the Sandaime or Kimiko-san had taken Naruto out, he did not know the layout of the whole orphanage. Naruto had gone the other way initially, into area that had remained uncharted for Minato.

Thankfully, Naruto didn't seem to mind that he had no idea where he was going. That was the point of an adventure, after all. He was getting more and more excited with every step, babbling things to Minato that had started to sound nonsensical because he was talking so fast. Minato only laughed, and settled back in Naruto's mind, listening to his kid fondly.

Soon though, Minato noticed that Naruto started to tire. It took him a moment to realize why. Naruto was not used to walking for long periods of time and his long exploration had begun to wear him out.

"Naru-chan," Minato spoke up, his voice gentle, "I think that maybe it's time to go back now."

But Naruto was having none of that. He plodded on resolutely ahead, "No."

"Come on Naruto," Minato coaxed, "you could always do this another day too. It's not the end of the world if we go back for today. We can come back next time."

Naruto didn't even appear to have heard him, "No."

"Naruto…" Minato sighed. He might have argued more, but he recognized bullheadedness when he saw it. Naruto was too much like Kushina to have Minato push him around.

The thought of Kushina sent a stab of pain through his chest, but he consoled himself that it wouldn't be too long. Besides, what he was doing here was honouring her memory. With Naru-chan's stubbornness, there could be no doubt that he was her son.

And then, quite suddenly, Naruto came to a stop. He turned, almost toppling over as he did so, and pointed a chubby finger in the opposite direction to which he had been walking. "Dadda, me back."

The elder blinked at the sudden turn of events, and then a light smile spread across his face. Stubborn as he was, it looked as if Naru-chan could see reason too. "Alright Naruto, don't worry, I know where to go."

* * *

><p><strong>I Win, You Lose<strong>

…**and five months (Konoha Orphanage Courtyard)**

They had made eight trips outside of Naruto's room after the first one, but this was the first time that they had made it to this place.

It took Minato only a moment to recognize it as the orphanage courtyard, where the children were often shooed out to play. He had only been here a few times to visit as the Hokage, but he still remembered it well.

Open archways surrounded a large square field, and to the side of the field was a small playground with a slide, two swingsets, and one big sandbox.

There were, Minato noted, quite a lot of children playing in the orphanage courtyard. It seemed that Naruto noticed too, because in the next instant the blond had paused by the doorway, looking hesitant as large blue eyes swept the grassy field.

Minato cocked his head, wondering what had gotten the normally expressive child so quiet, when suddenly he remembered all the books that Kushina had made him read about childhood development. He chuckled, abet sadly, when he remembered the face she had made at him as she was explaining how boring those books were, and that she fully expected him to be there to tell her every little thing that she needed to do so that she wouldn't have to read them.

His chest felt tight as he thought of her. He doubted he would ever stop thinking about her.

"It's alright, Naruto," Minato urged gently, drawing on his years old knowledge. Toddlers needed a little pushing in order for them to interact with people they had not gotten used to during their infant years. "Go on. It'll be fun."

And just like the book predicted, that was all the encouragement Naruto needed. The blond nodded once, and bounded over to a gaggle of children who were playing in the sandbox. They were all around his age, and their overseer had fallen asleep on a nearby bench.

Naruto plopped himself down next to a boy with dark hair and murky brown eyes. The boy glanced over, looking distrustful.

"Introduce yourself, Naru-chan," Minato said, sending an image of a person holding out their hand as they waited for their companion's reply.

Minato had discovered that he could send images into Naruto's mind not too long ago. That was mainly due to the fact that Naruto had only begun to understand what was happening and speak clearly about it not too long ago.

It was with a guilty feeling that Minato realized that he had probably been doing so before, but had not distinguished between thinking his own thoughts and sending them directly into Naru-chan's mind. After he had found out what he could do however, Minato had made sure to test what constituted as a thought that Naruto would see too, and by now he had gotten a good grasp of the art.

It immensely helped both Naruto's development. While Minato could not be physically there for Naruto, at least he could show Naruto what he needed to do. Plus, it made bedtime stories that much more interesting.

Naruto, for once, did not argue Minato's suggestion. Usually he would be sure to make a few complaints before following through, but Minato thought that just maybe Naruto was too nervous to do that this time.

The blond stuck out his hand, "Hi! Me 'ruto."

The dark haired boy blinked, looking confused, before he pointed a thumb at himself and beamed with pride, "Me Shiori!"

In his excitement at making a new friend, Naruto didn't even notice that Shiori was supposed to have taken his hand and shake. Then again, Naruto didn't even know the meaning of a handshake yet, and Minato realized that the newly introduced Shiori probably didn't, either.

He chuckled to himself. Whoops.

"Wanna play?" Naruto asked excitedly, allowing his arm to fall back to his side as he bounced around excitedly.

Shiori nodded enthusiastically, but then seemed to pause a moment in thought, "Play what?"

"No Fall!"

Shiori blinked, "Huh?"

Minato blinked, _Huh?_

Naruto gave his new friend the toothiest grin imaginable, "Dadda teached me."

Minato couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in his chest at Naruto's words, and what they implied. Oh he knew Naruto had to listen to him, but it still made him feel special to hear his little boy confirm it with his own words.

Still, he also knew that he shouldn't encourage the habit. Naruto was an orphan in the eyes of the world, and if he constantly talked about his 'dadda', people would start getting suspicious.

A month ago, the Sandaime had nearly found out, and that thought sent Minato's heart racing. While he wouldn't have minded his predecessor figuring out that Minato was residing within Naruto's mind, as Minato did have much to tell the Hokage, the blond also realized that it was not the time.

Naruto had not developed enough to articulate well what Minato needed him to say, and he knew that there was a very real chance of him being mistaken for the Kyuubi if he did not make it explicitly clear that he was intended to be there. There was much to tell the Sandaime, but that, also, could wait. When Naruto gained more vocabulary, then Minato would begin thinking of a way to warn the Sandaime adequately.

For now, Minato made a vague note to himself to speak about that habit with Naruto later.

"I dun get it," Shiori admitted, who, not unlike Minato, was not following Naruto's thought process very well.

Naruto pointed to the sand, "Sea. No touch."

Minato made a noise of understanding as he finally saw where Naruto was going with this. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, and maybe even feel a bit flattered.

And then, Naruto pointed to the assortment of plastic buckets and shovels that were lying around untouched, "Land."

Done with his explanation, Naruto turned and grinned at Shiori, "Race?"

Minato had invented a game with Naruto to play when the blond got too bored with his toys. Well, actually, Minato had invented many games, but it seemed as if Naruto had picked this one to share with his new friend. The rules were simple: the floor was the sea, and everything else was land. The goal was to get across the room without falling into the sea.

The previous Hokage had invented it in order for Naruto to have fun, but there was a tiny voice in the back of his head that niggled at him about how great the game was for developing balance and spatial awareness. Minato resolutely ignored that voice.

While he knew that Naruto would eventually have to begin ninja training so that he could cope with Madara, it didn't mean that it had to begin right _now_. Minato wanted his boy to have his childhood, first.

Shiori's face was scrunched up in confusion as he tried and failed to understand. Finally, he shook his head in frustration, "No look fun! Me play sandcastle!"

Naruto gasped, and then his face too scrunched up, although it wasn't in confusion.

Sending an impending storm (and was that the crack of lightning he heard in the distance?), Minato hurried to intervene, "Wait, Naru-chan, Shiori-kun here probably just doesn't understand how this game really works, which is why he doesn't want to play it. Your explanation was... great, but I think he needs a demonstration too, just like the one I gave you. How about you show him first?"

The clouds on Naruto's face instantly cleared.

"Okay!" Naruto chirped, and hopped over to the start line. Shiori frowned, but Naruto ignored him this time. The smaller blond took a deep breath, and began hopping.

He wobbled as he landed on the first plastic mold, and Minato had to wince slightly at the small 'crack' that came from the toy. The game wasn't the best one to play without appropriate materials, but Minato couldn't very well take his permission back now that the game had started. Naru-chan needed the confidence, and Minato was not going to take that away, even if it did involve breaking a few things.

Naruto's arms cartwheeled, but he finally managed bring himself back into balance. He was standing on one foot, the other a few millimeters from the ground. Shiori watched wide-eyed.

And then, Naruto sprung again, landing on the next plaything, and then the next and the next. Finally, he made it to the other end of the sandbox, and stood triumphantly, grinning at Shiori.

By this time, it was not only Shiori who had taken notice of Naruto.

All the children were chattering excitedly, pointing at Naruto and his course. Soon, it was revealed that they wanted to try too, and Naruto was more than happy to oblige.

"Race! Race!" Naruto squealed, shooting back towards the Start line.

The others quickly followed, not wanting to be left out. Finally, they were all lined up on one end of the sandbox.

One of the older kids decided to put himself down as the referee, probably because he was one of the only ones who could really count. "Alright guys. Three. Two. One. Go!"

There was a yell of excitement, and then things just went downhill. There were too many at once, and more kids drowned than landed on land. The children were pushing and shoving at each other, all intent on winning the race first.

Minato felt a flare of worry, "Naru-chan, maybe we shouldn't be playing this right now. You could get hurt."

The game itself was one that had the danger of pain, but Naruto had played it so many times that Minato was hardly ever worried now about him falling. However, Naruto had never played it with other children before, some of which who were older than him. Minato was worried that he would get shoved and a fall in the sandbox couldn't be fun.

Naruto however, ignored him, just like he had always been doing recently when the situation didn't suit him.

A lot of children fell, and began crying, although Minato dryly noted that they were more shocked than in any actual pain. In some ways, children could be more devious than his best jounin. But it seemed like all the other toddlers understood the trick, because none of them paid any attention to the fallen ones.

"HehEheHe," Naruto shrieked in excitement, shoving just as eagerly as the others.

Unfortunately, all this noise woke their overseer up.

Minato noticed out of the corner of Naruto's eye much too late, but even if he noticed it earlier, it wasn't as if he could have done anything. Naruto was too caught up with his new friends to listen to his father.

The nurse stirred, blinking one eye open and squinting as she adjusted to the sun. And then, her gaze landed on the sandbox, and suddenly she no longer seemed sleepy.

"What is going on here?!" She shrieked, standing up in one hurried motion as she took a step towards the playground. Her eyes swept the area, taking in the scattered remnants of the crying orphans and the sight of the bigger toddlers looking as if they were engaged in a fight. Her face turned a bright red.

The children engaged in the game of 'No Fall' froze.

The woman put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing dangerously. All the children straightened, and Minato suddenly got the feeling that they knew her very, very well. Or, they knew what she was like mad. "_Well?_"

"We play game," the boy who had counted down earlier said hurriedly. Thankfully, toddlers had no concept of 'tattling' at the moment, because no one gave him harsh glares. Instead, they were all staring at their feet guiltily. The boy pointed at Naruto, "He taught us."

Unfortunately for the boy, Minato did have a very acute concept of tattling.

He closed his eyes, and told himself that it was only a toddler, and it would be beyond ridiculous to get mad at a three year old. It wasn't working very well.

Inwardly Minato mused on how Kakashi might react if his mellow sensei stringed up some poor three year old by the ankles and left him hanging there. Kakashi might even drop his mask in shock.

That got him to chuckle, and to wonder where Kakashi was right now, but then the nurse began speaking again and Minato had to file the thought for later.

"Oh really?" The nurse began, her voice sickly sweet. She turned to the blond boy, the anger rolling off in waves. And then, she suddenly seemed to spot something, and her eyes flashed in recognition. The anger cooled, the tension leaving her body. When she spoke, her voice was as cold as the early frost, "Ah, I see."

Naruto, who had opened her mouth to say something, suddenly paused, shifting uncomfortably. Minato frowned sadly as the woman seemed to have recognized Naruto, once again not for whom he was, but for what he was. Naruto never did seem to do well around those people.

"I'm not sure who took you out of your room, brat," the woman continued, the tone of her voice making even the other children shiver, "but you will not cause any more trouble here, understand?"

Naruto bit his lip, and looked down. Minato sighed, and sent an image of him ruffling Naruto's hair to the boy. Naruto didn't respond.

Even after all this time, Naruto didn't know how to deal with the nurses. He had once tried to throw a temper tantrum with them as he had often done with Minato, but unlike Minato who at least tried to calm him, the nurses simply left. Sometimes they even gave Naruto a few choice words as a parting gift. While Naruto did not know what most of the words meant, he understood the tone easily enough. Naruto was an exuberant boy, but Minato was sometimes reminded very harshly that his Naru-chan was still very much a fragile child.

"Naru-chan, let's go," Minato said gently, "I'll teach you a new game, alright?"

For the first time in a long time, Naruto didn't argue.

* * *

><p><strong>Paper Mache Family <strong>

…**and eight months (Naruto's Room)**

Blue eyes were narrowed in concentration. His lips were pulled into a frown as he observed the piece of art, eyebrows drawn in contemplation.

And then, Naruto shook his head, and threw what he had just made across the room. It hit the wall with a faint _plop_ and slid down messily onto the tiled floors, leaving a trail of sticky white glue behind it.

"Ah, Naru-chan," Minato said with some strain in his voice, casting his eyes around desperately. The room was beginning to resemble a mini paper shredder with all the stray pieces of it scattered around the room, and the glue was _not_ going to come off the wall unless they did something about it right away. "You need to calm down a little. I know it's probably not what you envisioned, but _I_ thought it was a lovely piece of artwork."

Naruto's lips jutted out as he slapped the ground in front of him. It was covered with glue, "No good! Daddy no like!"

Minato sighed. It seemed as if he wasn't allowed to like the previous crafts that Naruto had made.

They had snuck out of Naruto's room again with the intent of exploring, or something like that. Minato had by now memorized the whole layout of the orphanage, and he couldn't say that going out now was as exciting as the first few times they had done it. Still, Naruto hadn't seemed to have tired of it yet, which was a good thing all things considered, especially since Naruto wasn't allowed to play with the other children.

They had come across an open door, one that held a variety of children ages three to five within. They had been sitting behind long wooden tables, chattering elatedly and just generally having fun. On the tables were an assortment of coloured paper and glue, and one look at the children made it obvious as to what they were doing.

The orphanage had arranged for the children to make some crafts, which was something the younger children obviously enjoyed immensely. Naruto had not been invited.

The look on Naruto's face had made Minato make a decision he was sure he wouldn't have made three years ago.

"Hey Naru-chan," Minato had said, "why don't we make some crafts too? Don't worry, we can do it in your room, but here's what we need to do…"

They had waited until the caretaker had left for a quick bathroom break, and then Naruto had hurried in and taken as much paper and glue as his little arms could carry.

The other children had seen him, but Minato doubted that the nurses would do much about it even if they said anything. The nurses seemed to want to avoid Naruto more than anything else, and he was highly doubtful that there would be a confrontation. After all, Naruto making a few paper dolls could hardly harm anyone.

They had come back to Naruto's room after that, just as Minato had promised. Thankfully, Naruto didn't seem to dwell on the bad things, or maybe that was just because he was young still, but by the time they had gotten back Naruto seemed to have completely forgotten about where he got the craft supplies, and simply cared about the fact that he _had_ them.

And then he started trying his best to make things, just as he had seen the other children do.

Needless to say, he hadn't been very successful. If Minato were to be honest, Naruto's people, or animals, or houses, did seem to resemble coloured blobs that were oozing with excess glue. Minato had tried to give some instruction, but he wasn't very good at this type of thing himself, and Naruto might have even gotten more confused.

At least Naruto hadn't thrown a temper tantrum yet. Minato was getting a headache even thinking about how much of a disaster that would be with Naruto's new materials.

"Hhmmmm…." Naruto thought aloud, stroking his chin. His hands, still covered with glue from the floor, spread the sticky white material all across his face.

Minato winced.

It was going to be a nightmare washing that out, especially when the nurses were none to gentle in giving the little blond his baths.

As time grew, Minato found himself becoming more and more frustrated with Naruto's treatment. He wasn't sure why that was: it had not changed a widget from when Naruto had first been placed in the orphanage.

Perhaps Minato was just irate about the fact that nobody could see what a little angel his baby was despite the fact that Naruto had already been with them for nearly three years. Perhaps it was because he had nothing else to really occupy himself with outside of being mad.

It did not bode well. Minato had very rarely gotten angry during his lifetime, and he did not understand what changed. Had death really been so hard on him?

_Or maybe,_ he thought hesitantly, _or maybe it was simply the fact that I'm really missing Kushina._

That explanation didn't quite seem to fit though.

It wasn't that he didn't understand the nurses' plight. If it were not his own son who was Naruto, and if not for the fact that it was he who had doomed the boy to such a fate, Minato might have even taken a similar stance. He personally knew that he would wish to avoid the painful reminder of his losses every day.

After all, the people were not blinded. They could be stupid yes, but they were not blind. Minato knew for a fact that at least ninety percent of Konoha knew that little Naruto couldn't possibly be the Kyuubi reincarnate, but they simply chose to ignore that fact in able to have someone to push their own pain towards.

Minato understood that.

So why was it so hard nowadays to keep that calming outlook?

It was all so muddled. _Kushina_ was supposed to be the one who got angry and emotional. Minato was meant to be the one to calm everybody down and cheer everybody up. He was not supposed to be the one declaring death threats every time somebody glanced at him the wrong way.

And then, quite suddenly, Naruto clapped his hands together, an enlightened expression on his face and drawing Minato out of his thoughts. He quickly got to work, burrowing himself in deep concentration as he did so. Minato might have been impressed by it if it weren't for the fact that Naruto seemed to forget that Minato was there during that time, and couldn't hear anything Minato said as a result.

The consequence: their once clean room had become the Cookie Monster's layer.

Naruto worked furiously. If Minato thought that Naruto had been working hard before, the little boy was practically running laps around the walls of Konoha now. His tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth as he tore up the untouched sheets of paper and swabbed them together in a pattern that he hadn't done before.

When he was done, Minato's breath caught in the back of his throat. All those picture books, all those stories that he told. He had known that it wouldn't be a good idea.

Naruto had made three figures. Two tall, and one very small.

The figures were standing side by side, the small one in the middle of the two tall figures. The one on the left kept toppling over because Naruto hadn't made it quite right, but Naruto was adamant in pushing it up every few seconds so that it would stay in its place. Finally, Naruto seemed to get fed up, and pushed out a swab of glue on the floor, and stuck the figure to the left within it so that it wouldn't fall over anymore.

Minato could not find the words to scold him.

Naruto beamed at his finished project, and quickly scooted back so that he could have a better look at them. He appraised them proudly, before tossing away the glue bottle and clapping his hands together, "Daddy like?"

Minato smiled weakly, and tried to say something. It came out sounding forced, "Uh… yes, very nice."

Naruto giggled in delight, thankfully not having caught Minato's less than stellar response. He pointed to the figure to the right, "Dadda."

Minato briefly closed his eyes. He had thought it would be like this, but he had hoped—

Naruto pointed to the figure in the middle. "Me!"

This hurt. This hurt a lot. Why did he have to go through with this?

Naruto pointed at the last figure, and Minato knew that the culmination of events could only lead to one ending. He almost wished that Naruto wouldn't say it, except that he knew it would be terribly unfair to the child, especially when Naruto had worked so hard for this.

And then, Naruto beamed, showing off all his teeth with his brilliant smile. "Mummy."

Minato swallowed, feeling his throat close up and something that felt suspiciously like tears sting his eyes. He pushed it all down, knowing that he had to say something and not caring if his voice came out a croak, because Naruto needed the assurance. "Yes Naruto, that's Mummy."

_Kushina, how I wish you were with us._

* * *

><p><strong>Cloudy with a Chance of Rain<strong>

**Three years, two months old (Konoha Orphanage)**

To be quite honest, Minato wasn't sure that Naruto was ready for the outside world yet. He was only three years old, and had only just learned to run properly. Still, the orphanage had been abuzz for weeks about The Big News, and Minato had heard that the event was happening today.

He wanted Naruto's first day outside the orphanage to be something special, and what was better than witnessing firsthand the signing of the Konoha-Kumo treaty, something that was sure to bring peace?

Certainly, Naruto wouldn't appreciate it as such, but Minato was sure that his boy would thank him when he turned older. Besides, it wasn't as if Minato was going to make Naruto stay for the whole thing. He would also take Naruto to the places that the three year old would find interesting.

He had told Naruto about his plans, and Naruto had hardly been able to sleep the past few days, so excited was he. He had been bouncing off the walls! (Literally! It was another unfortunate game that Minato had thought would be good at the time, and turned out… into something else under Naru-chan's guidance.)

Now, the day had finally come.

Naruto snuck out of his room easily enough. The gates were more of a problem. They were designed to be light enough for a full grown adult to open, but heavy enough so that the children would have a hard time getting out.

Thankfully, Minato knew a way around this too.

"Alright Naruto, now stick the seal on one of the bars," Minato instructed.

Naruto nodded, and rummaged through his pockets. A few seconds later, he brought out a large, folded up sheet of paper. He quickly unfolded it.

At the center of the page was a unique drawing. It was a circle with many lines running across it, intertwined in complex patters. The drawing was a Lightening Seal, meant to… well, make inanimate objects lighter.

Minato had spent weeks instructing Naruto on how to draw this seal. They had created a mini-mountain in Naruto's room with the amount of crumpled up paper that Naruto had thrown when it was evident that he had yet again drawn it wrong. In fact, Naruto was having a lot of fun with that paper mountain, often using it as a slide whenever he couldn't go to the playground.

To be honest the seal still looked quite awful, but most of the lines were right. It was a very simple seal and the consequences of getting it wrong weren't immense, so Minato had been satisfied with it. There was also the fact that he didn't think Naruto could stand to make any more, no matter how bored he was.

He wondered for a moment if this might be too suspicious—a three year old able to craft a seal, no matter how simple. And then, he waved the thought off. He had specifically told Naruto to check out a book from the Orphanage Library about sealing, and that might be enough to fool those watching into thinking that Naruto really did create this all by himself. Naruto was an Uzumaki after all.

"Howth dat?" Naruto asked as he pressed the paper against the bars, using both hands to push it downwards.

"Good Naruto," Minato said, "now push some chakra into it. Yes, just like we've practiced…"

Naruto was much too small to begin having chakra control, but thankfully, the Kyuubi allowed Naruto to be able to access chakra at this age. He couldn't really do anything with it at the moment, but seals did not need any amount of precision in the chakra released. As long as chakra was fed to them, the seals would active.

Naruto bobbed his head to Minato's instructions, and screwed his eyes shut. He made a face of intense concentration, and _shoved_ his chakra through.

The next second there was a creaking sound, and all of the sudden Naruto found himself falling forwards as the gate swung open. Naruto, who had been leaning on the gate, fell face first into the ground.

Minato hustled about worriedly, "Naru-chan, Naru-chan, are you alright?"

Naruto opened his eyes, and the sight of dirt and grass met Minato's vision. Naruto's lower lip trembled, but then he seemed to take a deep breath and push himself up, even standing again.

"'m good," he said determinedly, "leth go."

Minato nodded, though inwardly still worried. Still, he knew that Naruto had at least three falls a day, so really, it should be fine. The small three year old blond started off on his journey, with Mianto pointing out the directions to him.

As they left the orphanage, Minato's eyes flickered to Naruto's right, noting that the ANBU stationed there had moved on too. It confirmed his suspicion that the Sandaime had thought to get protection for Naruto. Good.

They hobbled over to the main streets of Konoha. Minato noticed that they were much emptier than he remembered, but that was probably because anybody who knew anything would be down at the Treaty Signing.

Still, that didn't mean that nobody was there.

Naruto looked around wide-eyed as he tried to take in everything at once. There was a general busy bustle about the street, with vendors shouting their wares and shopkeepers greeting old customers everywhere. Certainly, it was much more noise than Naruto was used to.

The colours were quite amazing too. Even Minato had to admit that it was a bit of a shock after being confined in a rather grey building for the better part of three years. While it wasn't quite like how it got during festival time, the streets still did look very promising.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that both of their attention were elsewhere, they didn't notice the man they were walking towards until it was too late.

Naruto staggered suddenly as he bumped into the legs of a man, standing with his back faced to them. At the sudden weight crashing into him, the man whirled around, his eyes narrowed as he looked for the offender.

"Hey! Watch where you're—!" The merchant began, only to stop mid sentence as he finally got a good look at the person who had bumped into him… way down there. He blinked, and coughed, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "Oh, sorry."

Minato couldn't help but smile at the statement. It was a welcome change from the types of adults that Naruto was used to.

Naruto blinked his large, adorable eyes up at the man, "'s okay."

The man frowned, something akin to concern creeping up in his eyes. "Kid, shouldn't you be with your parents? Are you lost?"

Naruto shook his head, "I libe in the orphanage."

Minato had told Naruto not to tell anyone about him, but at the same time, he didn't quite want Naruto to start lying so young, so misdirection was the solution they had come up with. Well, misdirection was the solution that Minato had come up with, and Naruto just had to execute it.

"Orphanage?" The man repeated, his eyebrows furrowing. Suddenly, recognition lit in his eyes, and his expression changed. When he looked at Naruto again, the hint of kindness previously displayed in the lines of his face was gone.

Minato suddenly got a very bad feeling about this.

"Blond, blue eyed, and around three years old," the man spat, glaring daggers at the small boy, "I should have known."

Minato closed his eyes. If he had known that the merchant would have turned out like this, he would not have let Naruto stay. The moment of kindness had misdirected Minato, and now Naruto would be paying the price. Inwardly, Minato cursed himself.

Naruto curled in himself at the man's words. Although he couldn't have understood the man's meaning, he did understand that it was the same tone and the same cold cold eyes that the nurses always stared at him with. Naruto hadn't been able to stand it then, and he wasn't able to stand it now.

The man sneered, and bumped past Naruto, causing the small boy to stumble.

"Next time," he said coldly, "watch where you're going, _brat_."

The rush of anger that followed the statement surprised even him. Minato snarled, yes, actually snarled, red clouding his vision for just a moment. How _dare_ that man threaten the son of the Yondaime? How dare that pathetic excuse for a person hurt Naruto? Did he want to live?

And then, just as quickly as the anger had come, it had left him.

Minato blinked, disconcerted. He had not meant to think any of that. He had never gotten so angry in life, so why now…?

And then Minato's attention was drawn away as Naruto made a sniffle, rubbing hard at his eyes.

"Naru-chan," Minato said desperately, "don't listen to the mean man please. Let's keep going alright? Let's not let the mean man spoil the day."

Naruto nodded in agreement, but Minato could tell that it was subdued. After that episode, the smaller blond hadn't wanted to stay in the marketplace any longer. With a sigh, Minato started directing him towards the place the Treaty Signing would take place.

Along the way, he tried a variety of ways to cheer Naruto up, ranging from telling funny stories to stating that he loved him. Thankfully, Naruto wasn't one to be depressed for long, and soon enough his boy was giggling again.

They made it to the street that was holding the Treaty Signing in record time. Record time for being slow, that is. Minato didn't mind it one bit. Naruto slowed down when he was having fun, and if it so required, Minato would make sure that Naruto took years to get even to the Hokage Tower.

There were a crowd of people amongst the streets, which was just about what Minato expected. Everybody wanted to see the Kumo nin who would finally make peace with The Land of Lightning possible.

Naruto's eyes had gone as wide as saucers. "Dare's so many."

"Yes Naru-chan," Minato murmured, just a hint of amusement in his voice, "there are a lot. Unfortunately, with this many people we can't see the ambassador very well. Hm…"

Spotting an empty alleyway not too far from where they were standing, Minato quickly gave instructions to the place. Naruto nodded, and began moving. Thankfully he was still short enough to get past the legs of people as opposed to their bodies, which made maneuvering much more easier as legs tended to take up less room. Soon, Naruto had found the spot which half-hid him from the crowd, but easily allowed him to see the Kumo nin.

It really was quite a dirty place, and Minato wouldn't have been satisfied with it normally for his son, but this was a special occasion. It would be a mark in the history books, and he wanted it to coincide with the first day his son had gone out!

"Hnnn…" Naruto frowned after two minutes. The Kumo ambassador was receiving congratulations from the other ninja, and replying with his own messages of flattery.

Naruto made a face, and stood.

"Wait, Naruto," Minato said, instantly understanding Naruto's aim and trying his best to circumvent it. It wouldn't do for Naruto to leave before it all begun! "Stay here for a bit, please?"

"'s boring," Naruto complained, but obliged anyways.

Minato smiled, and sent an image of a boy's hair being ruffled. His smile turned a bit sad and he couldn't help but wish that it didn't only have to be an image.

"Thanks Naru-chan, you're the best," Minato whispered, "I'll tell you a really cool story when we get back, alright?"

Naruto's grin turned wider.

"One about Iwa," he prompted, earning a laughing 'yes' from Minato.

And then, Naruto plopped to the ground, sitting down half-hidden behind the wall still, but keeping the crowd of people in sight from the corner of his eyes. Done adjusting himself, Naruto picked up some stray twigs and stones, and started doodling on the road.

Minato only sighed as Naruto's attention turned elsewhere, but he noticed from Naruto's stance that he himself was still able to see the happenings. He was surprised for a moment, before a soft smile spread across his face and a warm tingling welled up inside his chest. Naruto was very thoughtful.

Deciding not to waste his gift, Minato turned his attention back to the proceedings. The Kumo ambassador was talking easily enough with the major clan leaders of Konoha, and with Naruto's excellent hearing, Minato was even able to make out what they were saying. It felt refreshing to hear some language that was his level, even if Minato wasn't quite fond of flattery himself.

And then, suddenly, the Kumo ambassador's line of sight changed. He had swept the crowds, using the gesture to emphasize something he said, when his eyes alighted upon Naruto.

The Kumo ambassador's eyes flashed with something. Minato wasn't sure what, but suddenly he felt as if he didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Naruto!"

Naruto's head snapped up, catching the eye of the Kumo ambassador, whose eyes had narrowed before he turned back to the other nin, chatting as if nothing had transpired. Minato felt a wave of panic.

"Naruto, I think it's time to go," Minato said quickly, trying to keep his voice as calm and nonchalant as possible as to not startle his boy, but he was finding it hard.

Thankfully, Naruto didn't complain about leaving. He had been getting more and more obedient over the past months, and was finally growing out of what had been universally agreed upon as the Terrible Twos. Minato couldn't be more glad for the timing.

Naruto got up from his place on the ground, only brushing off his clothes at Minato's gentle reminder.

"Dith you catch cold?" Naruto asked curiously.

There was a bit of a silence, in which Minato didn't really know what to say. He wasn't sure where the question had even come from. Still, he was touched by the thoughtfulness.

"No, Naru-chan, but thanks for asking," Minato said warmly as Naruto bobbed his head down in pride and skipped out of the alley. Already he was feeling the sensation of danger leave him, and he couldn't help but feel that he had been a little foolish to be so alarmed back there.

_After all,_ Minato thought fondly, _Naruto is a cute child. The Kumo ambassador probably just wasn't expecting that. There's no way that Naruto could be connected to me so easily—there are plenty of blond orphans running around here._

Still, there was no more reason to stay. Naruto have obviously gotten bored, and despite the logic of it all being nothing, Minato decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. "Oh, by the way, that was a very nice bunny that you drew back there."

The smile fell off Naruto's face, a glum expression crossing his features as he stared down at his shoes, "It wath a lion."


	3. Three Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years Old<strong>

"_Sensei, I don't understand it. You're _different_ from the rest of them, so why do you bother wasting your time with those idiots? ~Hatake Kakashi_

* * *

><p><strong>Puzzle Pieces <strong>

…**and four months (Naruto's Room)**

Naruto was sprawled belly first across the floor, his chin resting on the palms of his hands as he squinted at the tome before him. He was propped up by his elbows, and occasionally he would slide one arm out to flip a page, which was very rare, or point to a word that he didn't know, which was much more common.

"He pulled the le—le—"

"Lever, Naruto."

"—leber all the way down to whewre it said Full Steam Ahead!"

Minato beamed in pride as his son successfully read the last sentence on the page. "Great job Naruto! That was all correct!"

They'd been working on reading for ages now. Naruto hadn't been getting it very quickly, but Minato was patient. It helped that they didn't have a lot else to do, cooped up in Naruto's room as they were.

Naruto closed the book with a soft _twap_, and pushed himself to his feet. Grabbing the book again, he totted over to the large pile of picture stories stored in the corner of his room, and placed his book gently on the top stack. Minato had been adamant about keeping things clean, and now it had become habit for Naruto too.

"What next?" Naruto asked excitedly, scrutinizing the pile of books with an almost expert eye. While Naruto hadn't taken to reading at first, when he realized that the best stories were told by books and that if he read them himself, then he wouldn't have to rely on his Daddy, Naruto had become a regular bookworm.

Minato chuckled, "Naru-chan, you've already read three books today. Wouldn't you rather do something else?"

Naruto thought for a moment, his head poised cutely to the side. Finally, he nodded, "Okay! Game!"

Minato beamed. While he loved the fact that he had gotten his Naru-chan reading, exercise was important too. "Alright. Now, which game shall we play? Let's see, we played mix-match yesterday, so how about… oh, here's a game we haven't played in a while. Do you still remember this one Naruto? The floor is the sea, the carpet is the land, and you—"

"No Fall," Naruto said, but Minato noticed that there was something wrong with his voice. Naruto was looking down now, tugging at the edge of his shirt, "I don' wanna play dat."

Minato opened his mouth, and then closed it. To be honest he had forgotten about that disastrous day in the courtyard where Naruto had gotten in trouble for playing a game that Minato had made up. It looked like Naruto still hadn't quite gotten over it yet.

A small frown spread across Minato's features. Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of things his Naru-chan didn't do that could be attributed to a past event. Such a trait would not do. He did not want Naruto to become a turtle who hid from the world.

That decided, Minato decided to change topics. He smiled, making sure to keep his voice light, "Alright then, if you don't want to play that game, it's fine. Say, you know, it's been quite a while since we ventured outside. You've been cooped up for two months. So, what do you say to taking a break and going out to play today?"

A look of panic flashed across Naruto's face, and he instantly turned back to his book stack, "No! I wanth to wead more about George!"

_I knew it, he really is afraid of the outside. It isn't even the novelty of it. It's the villagers… _

"George will still be here when we come back," Minato said gently, "he's a tough little monkey. Come on Naruto, you haven't been outside since our last little outing two months ago. Surely you don't want that to be your last trip?"

Naruto's face fell. "I don' weally like the outhide. Can't we justh stay in here?"

The look on Naruto's face almost made Minato give in. Almost. Just this once though, Minato knew for a fact that what he had suggested was better for Naruto in the end, so he didn't let up.

"Come on Naruto, I'll be there with you. What's there to be scared of?"

"Not scawred! Just don' wanna!"

Minato frowned slightly. Naruto could talk much better now, and very rarely dropped pronouns. It spoke to how worried the little blond was. He let out a sigh. He supposed that the best way to do this was to get to the root of the problem.

"Naru-chan, you don't like the looks that the other adults give you, right?" Minato said tenderly, "But it's alright, really. The villagers are scared of things that they shouldn't be, and fear makes them act irrationally. They don't really mean to hurt you, so just ignore them for now. Let's have fun doing the other things that can be done outside."

Naruto frowned doubtfully, and Minato waited patiently for his reply. He knew he couldn't rush his baby's answer.

"Why?" Naruto finally said, sniffling. At any other time Minato might have smiled, because the five Ws were quickly becoming Naruto's favourite words, but Naruto had asked it at a hard time this time.

Minato sighed deeply, wondering if one day Naruto would be able to understand them, "Because they are ignorant, Naruto. They have not seen what a great boy you are. Don't worry, one day, you'll change all of that, and they'll come to love you. You're too good of a boy for that not to happen. Trust me."

Naruto shuffled his feet around, looking disbelieving but at the very least, willing to trust his Daddy, "O—okay."

"Good," Minato smiled, "now, shall we get going?"

After a quick clean up and pat around to make sure that they had brought everything that they needed, Naruto finally snuck out of his room. He was being very slow about it, practically dragging his feet, but Minato couldn't blame him.

Finally, they arrived at the orphanage gates. Using a spare Lightening Seal he had made, Naruto easily pushed open the gates. He did not so easily step outside, however.

Naruto simply stood there, seemingly frozen in time, his hands still half holding the gates open as he stared at the large expanse outside the orphanage. Blue eyes were wide with fear, and faint tremours suddenly began wreaking his body.

"I—I still—" Naruto began shakily, and couldn't continue.

Minato felt his heart give a quiver, and all thoughts of going out nearly disappeared. He had not thought it would be this bad. Quite suddenly, all the resolve he had gathered to force his baby into the marketplace withered and died.

"I understand," Minato said gently. "Alright, we don't have to go back if you really don't want to. I'm sorry for trying to make you, Naru-chan."

Naruto looked down, tears in his eyes, "I don' want to dis—dis—disappoint you, Daddy."

"You'll never be a disappointment to me," Minato said soothingly, "truly, we can go bac…"

He trailed off as something which he had simply taken for granted was suddenly pushed to the forefront of his mind. A slow smile spread across Minato's lips. He believed he had just found the perfect solution.

"How about this?" Minato asked with a lot more cheer in his voice, "Since I still think you need to play outside more often, and I _know_ that you like being out here, so why don't we just play in an area that doesn't have any nasty folk? Would you be alright with that?"

Naruto sniffled, and rubbed at his face, "Whewre?"

"The forests," Minato replied gently. "You've read about that, right? There's usually no people, and lots of animals and plants for you to play with. What do you say?"

Normally he might have been worried about Naruto running into unpleasant animals or other such things in the forest, but it was at times like these that it was very convenient to have an ANBU guard with them.

Naruto smiled, brilliantly, and Minato just _knew_ that he made the right choice.

* * *

><p><strong>Survival Tests<strong>

…**and five months (Academy Forest)**

The birds chirped merrily as they flew past each other, telling of their great adventures in evading the two legged predators and bragging of their individual morning meals. Occasionally they would land on a branch to rest their wings, only to spring up again at the slightest movements. The trees themselves would wave goodbye, their branches oscillating long after the birds had disappeared. The taller trees made no break in their greetings, with the wind lending them their strength.

The scent of honeysuckle and fresh wood permeated the air, enticing the small critters to scurry out of their underground homes to bask in the feel of the forest. The afternoon sun shone brightly, giving the whole place a warm, enchanting glow.

Naruto hummed softly under his breath as he plodded along the forest trail, eyes alight with excitement. Minato had been right in predicting that his little ball of energy would fit right in with the rest of nature, and he even had proof. Whenever Naruto had free time, he would beg for Minato to take him to the forest, where he could point things out and wonder at animals.

Other than being a great outlet for Naruto's energy, and not to mention a nice way build up muscle, the forest had also become a place of learning. Minato was by no means a botanical expert, but he did know the basics needed for survival, and he taught Naruto such. They'd been here so many times that Naruto had even started being able to distinguish between the different types of herbs.

Overhead, the ANBU guard watched Naruto silently, always making sure that the blond did not get into too much trouble. Minato had done what he could, guiding Naruto to the forest reserved for Academy students, and the ANBU guard made short work of the rest.

"What's dat?" Naruto asked as he came to a stop, pausing so that he could point one stubby finger at an unfamiliar plant. He did that often, and Minato would answer just as if he were teaching Naruto about his furniture all over again.

Minato took a moment to examine the plant, the images of various flowers coursing through his head. When he realized which one it was, he smiled. "It's marjoram, Naruto. It's a great spice to use when you've just caught fresh meat, which is rather tasteless if I must say."

Naruto nodded, his tongue rolling with the new word as he committed it to memory, "Mawrjowram."

They continued on their way. It was afternoon already, and soon it would get dark. The difference might not be so noticeable in the village, but it would be huge in a forest such as this. Naruto knew that Minato would ask him to go back soon, so little Naruto wanted to get as much exploring done as possible.

Minato watched in contentment as Naruto ran around chasing butterflies for a bit more, but eventually, it was time to go. He opened his mouth to tell his son so, when suddenly, they heard some voices.

"—ight. _As if_ Shirou. Who was the one who failed the survival portion of the exam last year?"

Naruto, ever the curious one, stopped chasing his butterfly and instead, started toeing towards the voice. Minato found that he was curious too. Although the tone was crass, the voice itself was high pitched and feminine, pointing to a small girl. Plus, the ANBU had evidently not seen these people as a threat, so it should be relatively safe.

When they made it to the source, they spotted three children sitting in a small clearing, backpacks scattered across the field. Naruto quickly hid behind a tall tree, observing them from a distance. There were three boys; one was holding up something that looked like a mushroom, while the other two stared at him contemplatively. They looked to be about eight years old.

Minato blinked, and belatedly realized that they must have been here for the survival test, where the Academy students had to stay in the forest for one night and 'survive'. It was actually the safest activity ever, as there was nothing in the forest that could possibly hurt anyone, but the students didn't know that. He did remember going through it when he was younger.

"So Yuuta, do _you_ think this is edible?" The boy holding the mushroom was saying, turning to look at the boy with red hair.

With a flush, Minato realized that the one holding the mushroom wasn't a boy at all—but rather, a girl. Her coal black hair was cropped short just like a male's, and her clothing did not distinguish her sex, but when she had turned her head, Minato had caught a glimpse of her face, and he knew then that mixed with the sound of her voice, she could definitely not be classified as a boy.

"Hmm…" the boy dubbed 'Yuuta' replied, looking as if he were thinking hard as his brown eyes scrunched up in thought. His pallid face was dotted with freckles, which only served to look more ridiculous as his overly large glasses slid slightly off the bridge of his nose, "I think so, Kaoru. That mushroom… it doesn't have any bad spots, does it?"

Naruto gasped, and hopped out of his hiding place. Kaoru, who had her back facing them, didn't notice, but the other two boys did. Their eyes widened considerably as Naruto pointed one, accusing finger at the mushroom, "Dat's poisonous!"

Kaoru snapped around, "Holy shit, what—!"

And then, the boy who hadn't spoken yet, which Minato could only presume to be 'Shirou', let out a loud, exuberant laugh, "Wow, amazing kid! See Kaoru, I told you, that mushroom's no good."

Naruto, who had flinched back from Kaoru's yell, suddenly beamed at the dark haired boy's praise. Blue eyes lit up as he emerged from the woods, running over to where the three were seated. And then, he took a deep breath, examining the mushroom closely before nodding seriously, "Dat's Clitocybe, fowr suwre."

Kaoru was apparently too stunned to stop him.

Shirou's grin went from ear to ear. He turned lazy black eyes to the only female member of their group, "Didn't I tell you Kaoru? You shouldn't have doubted my All Seeing Eyes."

"Stop making fun of the Hyuuga," the boy wearing glasses, Yuuta, said in a clipped tone, "and the mushroom was not dangerous. Clitocybe is… hm, how should I put this…?"

"It makes you poop," Naruto concluded, nodding his head sagely.

Kaoru facepalmed, and Shirou let out another rambunctious laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," the girl muttered as she hit Shirou across the shoulder, "laugh it up."

"You, kid, are awesome," the dark haired boy said lightly. He reached out a hand, a wide smile spread across his face, "I'm Shirou by the way, and I'm not afraid to make fun of the people who deserve it. You can count on me to back you up."

Yuuta and Kaoru shared a glance, which Minato not fail to notice. It went over Naruto's head though as the little blond haired boy took the hand with a giggle. "I'm Nawruto."

"A good name," Shirou murmured with a small grin as he shook the blond's hand gently before letting go, earning another beam of delight from the little ray of sunshine.

Looking as if he had decided that it would be his turn next, Yuuta pushed his glasses up, the reflected light blocking out his eyes. Minato couldn't help but wonder amusedly if he were related to the chuunin named Ebisu, who delivered his reports in a similar manner. "I am Shirayama Yuuta, date of birth January 8th, age nine, gender male, height 1.3 meters, weight 27.5 kilos, blood type B. It is my pleasure to meet you."

Kaoru made a face, "Aw, quit it Yuuta. You're going to scare the kid."

"As much as I'd hate to agree with the she-devil," Shirou said teasingly, "I think you should tone it down a little, Yuuta. Don't need to be so nervous, Naru-chan here's only a five year old."

"Three," Naruto piped up.

"Eh?" Shirou turned back to Naruto with an amused look in his eyes, "What's that?"

"I'm thwree years old!" Naruto said with a big, toothy grin, holding up three fingers.

Shirou blinked, and blinked again. And then, his jaw slackened, "What, seriously?"

"For the love of all that's holy," Kaoru said in surprise, "we got outsmarted by a three year old. Damn Naruto, you're good."

Yuuta pushed the still blinking Shirou to the side as he leaned in closer, the tip of his nose practically touching Naruto's. The brown haired boy's eyes narrowed as he carefully scrutinized every inch of Naruto's face, although Minato seriously doubted that the close proximity would allow him to see much. Naruto giggled.

"Hmm…" Yuuta said as he pulled back, pushing up his glasses once again. "Hm… very interesting. It seems that our little boy here is something of a prodigy."

Off to the side, Shirou rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "You didn't have to go in close to come to that realization."

Yuuta gave a loud sniff, crossing his arms and looking away, ignoring the other boy.

"Pro—di—gy?" Naruto asked in confusion, as Minato had never mentioned the word to him before.

"It means you're smart, kid," Kaoru said as she ruffled Naruto's hair. She had a slight but kind smile on her face, "I'm Kaoru, by the way. I'm the eldest here. In both age and mentality."

"But not in intelligence," Shirou piped up, and winked at Naruto, "that title belongs to our little Naru-chan here."

It was Minato who was the one who beamed in pride. His Naru-chan _was_ smart indeed. He was starting to really, really like these kids. If he could take another genin squad right now, they would be it.

"Anyways Naru-chan," Kaoru said, a curious tone in her voice as she completely dismissed the dark haired boy, "if you're only three, what are you doing in the forest all by yourself? Or are you lost?"

The other two boys shared a glance behind Kaoru's back, and nodded in agreement.

"I was chasing Buttewrfly-chan," Naruto said, puffing up his chest. And then, he hesitated, no doubt remembering his father's warning about not revealing anything about him. Instead, Naruto waved vaguely in the direction where he had come from, "And I'm not by myself. Dere's a… an ANBU with me. Dey neber come out to play dough."

Out of the corner of Naruto's eyes, Minato saw the ANBU stiffen in surprise. He winced lightly; it might not have been wise on Naruto's part to reveal that he was aware of them. It would be another report that would go back to Sarutobi and only serve to make the Sandaime more confused.

The three nine year olds' reactions were much easier to map. Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise, and just the slightest bit of awe.

Shirou turned his head, face half-hidden from Naruto, but Minato could read his lips anyway. 'Clan heir?' Shirou mouthed, a questioning look on his face.

Yuuta, at whom the comment was directed at, shook his head.

Kaoru only let out a low whistle, "Hot damn. That's something, Naru-chan."

"Stop swearing around a kid," Shirou said weakly, brushing Karou's arm with a good-natured punch.

Kaoru rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

Naruto gained a curious expression on his face, and in that instant Minato just knew that Naruto was going to ask what swearing was. Hastily, Minato moved to intervene, "Naruto, can you ask them why they're all taking this survival exam together?"

He had not allowed Naruto to hear any bad words as of yet, and he did not want Naruto to know of them until he was much older. He had let Kaoru's previous language go because he had been so delighted to find people who treated Naruto nicely that he hadn't really registered that he might not want those words around his baby, but now that it was explicitly clear, he would do his best to prevent that meeting.

Naruto nodded, and did as his father asked.

The three looked surprised at the question, but it was Yuuta who spoke first, "Ahh, so you know about that too then? How interesting indeed. We have known each other since our youth, and we have decided that this test is best taken with people who can be explicitly trusted."

"Yeah, we're like, childhood friends or somethin' like that," Kaoru snorted at the implications, "but it's only 'cause our parents worked together on the same squad."

"Yep," Shirou chipped in, "they wanted us to be all friendly-like, and now it's gotten into habit to have Kaoru's yapping in the background. Couldn't relax if I didn't hear her dulcet tones. I'd be worried all day about when she'd unexpectedly pop up."

He winked conspiratorially at Naruto.

Naruto giggled.

They spent quite a bit more time talking and just generally playing around, despite the sky getting dark and the chances of Minato getting Naruto out before evening fell grew less and less. Naruto just looked so happy, and Minato didn't have the heart to tell him that they should go.

Thankfully, it seemed that they had arrived at the last day of the Academy survival test, because before long, a loud, chiming bell rang across the forest, signaling the end to the test. Naruto had been very visibly upset when the three Academy students told him that they had to go, but he brightened when they told him where to visit.

All of that done, they headed back to the school grounds, waving goodbye to Naruto and erecting a promise from him to visit. And then, they were gone, leaving Naruto standing alone in the clearing.

Naruto's head was bowed, his blue eyes wide. Minato felt a tingle of worry course through him as he wondered if Naruto was really alright with them leaving. He opened his mouth, "Naru-chan…"

"Dey had warm eyes," Naruto said as he looked up, interrupting Minato with a small flush on his cheeks, "I think… I think that I'll gibe the village anothewr twry."

* * *

><p><strong>To Catch a Scarecrow<strong>

…**and eight months (Konoha Market Square)**

"And what's that one, Naruto?" Minato asked with a smile, bringing up the picture of the article situated slightly to their left.

Naruto turned towards the item, squinting his eyes as he thought hard about it. Finally, he nodded confidently, and pointed one chubby finger at the vegetable, "Aspawragus."

Minato beamed in pride, "That's correct!"

They were learning their words in the marketplace, and Minato couldn't think of a better place to do it. The different scents and sounds really seemed to help out Naruto somehow, as if he were more motivated to learn in a crowded setting.

They were currently inspecting a vegetable stand, though some distance away as to not disturb the business. The man tending the stand thankfully ignored them, allowing the two to continue on with their day of learning.

Minato pointed out another piece of produce, "And that one?"

"Clementine!"

"Good! You're amazing, Naru-chan. Wow, I think you got all of them on this cart. Should we move on to another stand?"

Naruto nodded happily, and whirled around, intent on finding another booth to test his skills in memorizing the different objects of the world. He was used to this routine by now. Naruto looked around, his head going wildly to and fro as he tried to seek out another place to start. Naruto didn't go by convention, much preferring to learn what looked interesting rather than go row by row. Minato didn't discourage the habit.

Minato hummed as he followed Naruto's gaze, making it a game to try and figure out what stand Naruto would choose. There was very little to do in his life, stuck in Naruto as he was, and he had to make up some forms of entertainment for himself.

It was then that he noticed a distinctive but familiar head of hair poking out amongst the crowds.

Naruto's gaze had moved on, but Minato wasn't letting it go that easily.

"Hold up Naruto, look to your right!" Minato cried, his voice just slightly higher pitched than usual.

Naruto's eyes widened, started and confused, but he did as his father asked. He had never heard Minato sound like that before, and Minato would have felt bad for scaring him, but his attention was solely focused on the figure he had thought he had seen.

When Naruto turned his attention back to the area, and his eyes caught the unique form of the person again, Minato knew he wasn't wrong. There was no mistaking that flyaway silver hair, the tipped hitaiate, or that thin black mask.

Hatake Kakashi was standing with his back ram rod straight in the middle of Konoha Market Square, looking intently at the arrangement of canned fruits set before him. There was no doubt that he was planning to buy his next assortment of nutritious if not tasteless foods, all for the sake of 'completing the mission'.

A hail of memories flooded Minato. How could he? How could he have forgotten about Kakashi? Minato was no fool. He knew that he was the closest thing that Kakashi had to another father, despite the fact that Minato was nothing like Hatake Sakumo.

The blond could not have hoped to match the ancient war hero in terms of paternity, as he had only been seventeen when Kakashi was put onto his squad, and to be honest Minato had been a little overwhelmed by the job at that time. He did not know how to care for a five year old, especially when that five year old did not seem to want any caring.

Nevertheless, one could not be on the same team for eight years without growing bonds, and with their age difference, Minato's attitude, and Kakashi's past, it only made sense that the silver haired boy had started to see something of a father in Minato. Minato had not been blind to it—he saw the way that the boy had hung onto his every word, only disobeying when his personal grievances against his real father came into play.

And then, Minato had given his life to seal the Kyuubi, and Kakashi had been left alone again. There was still Rin, of course, but one person made a very short list of people that Kakashi could rely on. Before Obito's death (and that thought still sent a pang through Minato's chest, for he had _failed_ Obito), Kakashi had made no efforts to find people whom he could share his pain with, and Minato had no doubt that fact never changed.

The boy had only been fourteen years old, and he had lost another father figure again.

Minato felt so absolutely stupid and maybe just a bit cruel to have forgotten completely about his student. Naruto was not the only one who needed him, and yet by the time that Minato had come out of his self-imposed exile in Naruto's mind, Naruto was the only one he could see that needed help.

Because of that, he had forgotten that there were others too in the world. Because of that, he had forgotten that there were still people yet who lived and needed life. He could not believe that he had been so wrapped up in Kushina's legacy that he had even forgotten about Kakashi.

"Naruto," Minato whispered in quietly, urgently, "see that man over there with the spiky silver hair and black mask? We've got to go see him."

Naruto bobbed his head obediently, not imagining that his father would request anything that was unreasonable. There was no doubt in Minato's head that Naruto thought this was just another game that he was inventing, when in reality, it was anything but.

As they neared Minato's old student, Minato began to see things more clearly. Naruto skilfully weaved his way through the prongs of rushing people, but for once, Minato's attention wasn't on his son.

There was a slump in Kakashi's shoulders that Minato had never seen before, not even when they had been forced to kill hundreds during the Great War. The way he was talking to the stand owner was more short and crisp than ever before, and there was an alertness in his stance that bespoke of borderline paranoia.

It was worse than he had imagined.

And then, the scent of blood and kunai instantly assaulted Naruto's nostrils, though of course Naruto couldn't distinguish what they were. Minato gasped. He knew that there was only one reason that Kakashi would smell like that and look as tired as he did, especially since they were no longer at war.

Kakashi had joined the ANBU.

It was the last thing he had wanted for any of his students. The Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai were a special squad of ninja that specialized in assassination and working from the shadows. One could apply for it as soon as they reached chuunin, though of course very few actually passed the test.

To be ANBU was not glorious, and the only thing it guaranteed was endless slaughter and a quiet death. Honestly, only those with the strongest wills, who would not mind dying nameless for the sake of their village should have been in ANBU, but many a times the place had turned into a haven for those who did not want to deal with life.

Minato was very afraid that Kakashi had joined not for the former reason.

And then, Kakashi turned around.

It was not for any particular reason. The store owner had finally finished packaging Kakashi's request, and the jounin was reaching into his pocket for money. Unfortunately, that reach had caused him to turn his body slightly, and it was towards the direction Minato and Naruto were coming from.

The silver haired boy's sole eye widened, and Minato knew that he had spotted Naruto. Kakashi immediately turned back to the shopkeeper, muttering a few quick words. The storeowner nodded as Kakashi inclined his head in thanks, and put his hands up in a very familiar seal.

Minato inwardly cursed, "Hurry Naruto, he's going to—"

A swirl of leaves later, and Kakashi had disappeared, leaving only an exasperated shopkeeper behind.

Naruto's eyes widened adorably, "He—he—he disappeawred!"

The shopkeeper smiled when he heard a child's voice and glanced down, only to frown when his eyes skimmed over the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks and turn away again. Naruto didn't even pay it any attention. He was far too used to it by now.

"Yes, Naruto, he did," Minato said softly, just barely holding back a sigh. It was not that he did not understand why Kakashi might not have wanted to see Naruto, but personally he had been hoping for the other case.

"Wow…" Naruto murmured in amazement, "So cool…"

Despite himself, the older blond could not help but smile at his son's enthusiasm. He reminded Minato of another child who had been easily impressed by the shinobi arts. That child had turned out to be the love of his life.

"Naruto," Minato said suddenly, "that was your Kakashi-niisan. I was his teacher when I was… erm, before you were born. You remember all those stories you read about big brothers? Well, he is like that with you."

For some reason, that caused Naruto's good mood to disappear. He frowned, suddenly gaining a melancholy air.

Minato blinked. He would have thought that Naruto would be happy to gain more family.

And then, Naruto spoke again, and it all became clear. "But… but if dat's so, den he didn' like me. He wran away."

Minato could have slapped himself for missing it earlier. Of course Naruto would take it the wrong way that Kakashi had left like that! Indeed, if Minato guessed correctly, Kakashi did not want to see Naruto, but it would not be for the same reasons that the villagers had.

Kakashi had more to his circumstances, but Minato could not expect his three year old to understand that.

"Hm… it's like a hide-and-seek game, Naruto," Minato reassured his boy. He almost felt a little guilty for using his boy like this, but he had ignored his responsibilities for long enough, and besides, he was sure that every word he was saying was true. "I'm sure Kakashi will love you very much, but he's kind of afraid of people, so you have to catch him first before he'll see that you're not so scary."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully, and for a moment Minato was worried that his explanation wasn't enough, but then his son gave an energetic nod, a bright smile crossing his face. He patted his chest, sounding much too understanding for Mianto's tastes, "He's like me, wright? I know what it's like to be scawred. OK! I'll convince Kakashi-niisan dat dere's no need to be scawred of people!"

Minato smiled sadly, wishing that Naruto didn't have to understand. Still, what was done was done, and it had given Naruto a wisdom beyond his years. "Thank you Naruto. I'm sure Kakashi will appreciate you very much."

He wondered if Rin was hiding somewhere out there, too. Minato decided that he needed to keep an eye out for her. But, first things first, he needed to drag Kakashi out of his slump and back into the world of the living.

* * *

><p><strong>Hidden<strong>

…**and nine months (The Flouncing Frog)**

The beat of the music was hypnotic, lulling the occupants of the room into a serene daze. Despite the fact that it was a bar, and not a club, the dim lighting and the musky scents in the air made the place seem more sensual than it actually was. It was not surprising for a place named as a tribute to Jiraiya-sama.

Hatake Kakashi sat on one of the stools at the very corner of the bar, his eye hooded as he sipped at his drink and observed the general atmosphere around him out of his peripheral.

People were chattering incessantly about their lives or things that did not pertain to their lives in an effort to forget everything miserable for the night, a lot of good humour but also a faint sheen of desperation in their eyes. Some were dealing with it better, looking as though they had actually moved on with their lives… or they were just hiding it better.

Anyone who got near Kakashi was met with stone cold silence, and an impassive stare that was somehow more intimidating than glares. They left quickly after that, not completely able to hide the uncomfortable tilts of their shoulders.

It was not that Kakashi wanted to purposefully make them uncomfortable. Unlike some, he did not take joy in watching people squirm. Quite simply, he had nothing that he wanted to talk to with anyone. He did not want to make friends only to watch them leave him, and he did not want to waste time on small talk that was sure to bring him nowhere. If others approached, that was their decision, but whether or not he obliged them was his decision.

The Hatake genius shifted in his seat, adjusting his position to a more comfortable one as he took another swig of his bottle.

To be honest he did not like the bar—the drinks tasted nasty and the girls were annoying. But, he had felt like coming here tonight, for some sentimental reason or another. The silver haired teen had thought he had stamped it out of himself, but sometimes the feelings did come creeping back, and he was as susceptible to them as anyone else.

His birthday was coming up, but Kakashi did not feel like celebrating it. There would be no one to celebrate it with, anyhow.

The silver haired shinobi swirled the drink in his hands, watching as the liquid sloshed to and fro from one side of the bottle to the other. He was turning seventeen in a few weeks; it would be just one year to add to the life that he had been allowed due to the sacrifices of his teammates.

He'd somehow managed to survive nearly four years in ANBU while all around him, his teammates died. He thought if he grieved any more, even _his_ body would simply fall apart.

And so he'd become numb. Numb to the world around him and numb to the things that he felt inside. He wasn't sure he was succeeding very well, but it kept him going, and that was all he needed. So long as his nightmares and flashbacks did not affect his performance, nobody cared, and he did not want anybody to.

He did not want to be taken off ANBU. The work was tough, and scarring, but the constant workload kept Kakashi's mind off the memories he so desperately wanted to avoid. He wasn't sure what the alternative would be, but he did not want to find out.

And then, the little blond thing had popped into his life.

The first day in the marketplace had been a pure coincidence, and Kakashi had been shocked beyond all measure to see his sensei's son standing so innocently among the villagers. He had known logically that Namikaze Naruto would be somewhere in Konoha, but the child had been kept out of the public's eye for the better of the past four years that Kakashi had nearly forgotten about him.

He'd left right away. The dazzling features and familiar Uzumaki smile had ripped Kakashi's heart, bringing to the surface the memories that Kakashi had worked long and hard to bury. He had to leave, or risk breaking down.

To be honest Naruto did not look much like Uzumaki Kushina or Namikaze Minato at his age. He was only three years and nine months, which was not old enough for someone to have distinguishing features. Still, with Kakashi's knowledge of who Naruto really was, the connections were all too easy to draw, and there was no avoiding the fact that the new Jinchuriki of Konoha was his mentor's son.

Kakashi had hoped to never see the child again, or, if that were too unrealistic, to at least never be in his line of sight again.

But that was not to be.

After that incident, Kakashi not go outside without seeing the blond. He did not know if Kami were playing a trick on him, or if he were just really that unlucky, but every time he went to the marketplace, the three year old would be there.

And the three year old would not just stand there. If he spotted Kakashi, he would chase after the silver haired teen, although Kakashi could not for the life of him figure out what would make the child act that way. So far, the ANBU genius had been able to escape every time, but it was getting tiresome.

He didn't know why the child would chase after him. A three year old by all rights should not know that Kakashi was supposed to be taking care of him instead of wasting away in ANBU. A three year old should not know that Kakashi was neglecting his duties.

And yet, a three year old did. And every time Kakashi was spotted by the little boy, he was stricken by guilt of what he had neglected.

It was as if Minato's ghost had come back to haunt him.

Kakashi smiled bitterly at the thought, his eyes gaining a more empty quality to them. While he was not superstitious, the allegation was true enough. Minato-sensei would not be pleased with what he was doing with himself.

Still, even though he knew that, there was nothing else that he could do. He could never be the perfect person that Minato-sensei would have been happy with, that Rin definitely wanted, and that Obito needed.

It was then that Kakashi noticed that someone else was approaching him, and that observation brought him out of his thoughts. Even while thinking, Kakashi had attention on his surroundings. It had been this habit more than anything else that had kept him alive all these years.

It was just an observation like any other, and Kakashi wasn't going to pay it much mind, until the stocky figure and the square features registered in his mind.

Kakashi turned his head ever so slightly and nodded towards his new neighbour. Sarutobi Asuma was one of the few shinobi that Kakashi did know outside of missions. Out of all of Kakashi's acquaintances, Asuma was the one least annoying. He at the very least knew when to keep quiet.

"Hey," Asuma smiled as he slid into a seat beside Kakashi. He waved the bar tender over, and quickly gave his order. "It's your birthday soon isn't it Hatake? Happy Birthday."

"Please don't," Kakashi said flatly, turning back to face the front and silently wondering if he'd been too early to judge Asuma as 'not annoying'.. He took another swig of his bottle, only to find no liquid coming to meet his lips.

Frowning, Kakashi tilted the neck of his bottle over, revealing clear sparkling water droplets sticking to the inside. He had finished the water he had brought to the bar, and he was not going to order another drink from the bartender.

The ANBU did not drink. They did not know when a mission might come up, and they always had to be alert. There was no rest for the Ansatsu Senjutsu.

He slid off his stool. There was no point in staying here any longer.

"What? Leaving so soon?" Asuma asked as he eyed Kakashi critically, leaning back against the long table at which they were sitting.

"There are things to do," Kakashi said briskly, brushing past the heavier shinobi and heading towards the door.

"Geeze," Asuma muttered to himself, before raising his voice slightly as he called out to the departing Kakashi. It wasn't loud enough to attract everybody's attention, but it was certainly loud enough to get a few's. "Hey, it's rare to see you by yourself nowadays, Kakashi. Where's that little blond growth that's attached himself to you?"

"Not here," Kakashi said flatly, turning back around just to stop Asuma from telling every single shinobi present his little problem. "This is a bar."

In the span of the time that Kakashi had turned his back on the brown haired man, Asuma had somehow lit a cigarette and put back his lighter. He still looked as relaxed as ever.

"Hm, so you're avoiding the kid," Asuma said as he took a puff of smoke, thankfully lowering his voice. "Why?"

Kakashi did not answer. He wondered if everyone would be on his case for that. Even Gai had noticed Naruto's strange attachment to the silver haired jounin. Kakashi was not stupid. He knew that everybody who knew him was probably wondering what he'd do to a child who was being too nosy, but he had never thought that Asuma would be one of those who fell in with the crowd.

He wanted to for once and for all to stop the questions, even if it meant poking into places which were expressly forbidden.

"You've taken up smoking," he observed.

Asuma's eyes glittered, and Kakashi knew he had guessed rightly.

"Ah yes, it seems like everyone's taken up a vice now that the Yondaime has died…" Asuma suddenly paused, and Kakashi knew he had messed up.

Kakashi did not mean to seize up, but even for all the training he had undergone through ANBU, he could not completely keep down his reaction at that man's name. He had tensed like an Academy student who had been put through only the basics. It wasn't even subtle.

"I see…" Asuma took another long drag of his cigarette, though this time his gaze was contemplative, "I didn't realize that you would see that boy as the jailer of the Kyuubi first, and the Yondaime's legacy second. Or is it perhaps, he reminds you too much of the Yondaime?"

It was an open secret amongst the high ranked shinobi who Uzumaki Naruto really was. People like Danzo, the Sandaime, and clan heads were all aware of the boy's heritage. People who were especially close to the Hokages also knew, so long as they could be trusted to keep a secret.

Asuma had apparently been lucky enough to be privy to the information as the Sandaime's son, even if the brown haired chuunin was not directly the Hokage's heir. That privilege belonged to Sarutobi Hikari and her unborn child.

Asuma sighed, his eyes glittering like he _knew_, when he really didn't. "Just a piece of advice. Don't avoid the boy just because he gives you too much bad memories."

Kakashi's single eye flashed, hostile despite himself. The other nin, barely an acquaintance at best, had no right to try and 'right' his life. "What would you know?"

Asuma looked away, only affording Kakashi a look at his profile. And then, he smiled, and it was a painful, heartbreaking smile, "Because, Kakashi, you are quite possibly the only one he has left. And trust me, no boy wants to be left alone."

The words jolted his heart. Although Kakashi was by no means a sympathetic person, it had been overly callous of him to forget the story with Asuma. He looked down, ashamed in spite of himself, "I'm sorry."

Asuma waved a hand dismissively, although that sad look in his eyes had not disappeared, "No problem, no problem. Just give the kid a chance, alright? If not for yourself, then for me. I know we're not exactly friends… but we're comrades, right?"

Kakashi swallowed, feeling his left eye burn with the statement.

"_Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"_

He closed his eyes, and nodded, "Very well. I will give it a shot."

* * *

><p>The day after next, Kakashi did not avoid Naruto when he tried to come up to the silver haired nin. As he was buying his produce, he simply waved for the little blond to wait as he finished his purchases. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the three year old fidget uncontrollably, no doubt wondering what had made Kakashi finally give up running away. It was what Kakashi at that age would have questioned.<p>

"What do you want?" Kakashi asked bluntly as he gave the last of his money to the vendor and turned around to face the smaller blond. There was no denying that the three year old had been following him deliberately.

The child shuffled his feet, and then took a breath, turning wide blue eyes upwards to meet Kakashi's. The silver haired teen couldn't help but suck in a breath, because despite knowing who Naruto was, he still hadn't expected the boy to resemble his sensei so much.

"You look lone-y," Naruto said, his tongue rolling at the last word as if testing it out. He took a deep breath, and stuck out his hand, "Let's be fwriends!"

Kakashi blinked, and blinked again. The statement and the delivery had been so ridiculous that for a moment, he could not respond. Of all things, how could _that_ be the reason?

He thought about saying no, because he didn't need any friends. More than that, maybe he didn't _want_ any friends. He didn't want to experience the sensation of loss again, because he was unsure of how he could handle it.

But, looking into those wide blue eyes that resembled Minato-sensei so much, looking at that wide grin that reminded him of Obito, how could Kakashi say no?

Almost against his desire, his body moved forwards, crouching low as he took Naruto's outstretched hand into his own, and giving it a firm shake. "Alright, let's."

* * *

><p><strong>Hokage<strong>

…**and eleven months (Streets of Konoha)**

The Sandaime had come to visit.

Naruto was really excited.

It was not that he ever got bored of his daddy, but sometimes it was nice to have somebody who he would hug him and carry him. Daddy had explained that he could not be there for very serious reasons, but Naruto didn't really understand them.

Naruto did wonder if everybody's daddies were invisible like his, and that was why he never saw any daddies in the orphanage. He also wondered why nobody talked about it then, if they all knew about the hidden daddies.

"Sorry I haven't been coming around recently, Naruto." The Sandaime smiled as he walked down the street, holding Naruto's palm in his grasp, their arms swinging together with every step. Naruto found that he liked the feeling. He'd seen pictures of families doing this like this, and he liked feeling like a family.

"'s okay," Naruto replied, smiling toothily up at the older man, "you bwring toys."

The words didn't sound quite right, because in truth, the Sandaime brought much more than that, but Naruto didn't know how to put it into phrases. But, Daddy said that the Sandaime was smart, so Naruto thought that maybe the Sandaime already knew, anyway.

The Sandaime's eyes crinkled as he smiled, and Naruto beamed up at him.

"I heard you've been going out all by yourself now, is that true?" The Sandaime asked with a twinkle in his eyes and a gentle smile on his face.

Naruto nodded happily in response, puffing up his chest in pride. "Un! Yeah! Imma big boy now!"

The Hokage chuckled lightly, before continuing on with the round of conversation, "And if I may ask, how did you get out here?"

Naruto's face screwed up in thought. He didn't really like lying, because he had read that lying was bad, but Daddy said that sometimes lying was OK too, and Naruto believed in his daddy. "I heawrd some nuwrses talking about it, and I wanted to see. I'm wreally tall now, see? I can eben wreach the doowrknob!"

The Sandaime nodded his great head, "Ah, I see. And the gates? You are very tall Naru-chan, but..."

Naruto threw his hands up in the air, "Seals! Dey do stuff! I wread about dem, and wanted to twry… and den _whoosh_!"

He really was excited. It was really neat to see his little piece of paper make the gate easy to move. He hadn't liked drawing it, but with Daddy giving always talking to him, he had gotten through.

The Sandaime let out another chuckle, and for a moment, looked a little like Kakashi-niisan, but that was weird, because Kakashi-niisan wasn't old, and the Sandaime was very old. Naruto blinked, and then the resemblance was gone, and Naruto thought he probably just imagined it.

"Getting into seals are we?" The Sandaime said, a funny tone in his voice, "I see, I see. That's good to know, Naruto."

Naruto didn't get it, but good was good. He closed his eyes and smiled.

The Sandaime lead him to a place that sold food. The stand owner greeted them pleasantly before hurrying to go get their meals.

"What'wre we eating?" Naruto asked, only barely reaching the table with five sets of cushions stacked under him. He was excited. The orphanage never let them choose what they ate.

"Sushi," the Sandaime replied with a smile, breaking apart Naruto's chopsticks for him and setting them down on his napkin, "it's not native to Fire Nation, but it's still something that we enjoy."

"Ohhh…" Truthfully, he didn't get it, but he wanted to appear smart to the Sandaime. He heard that the Sandaime was really smart, and Naruto wanted to continue standing out to the Hokage.

The almost-four-year-old made a note to ask Daddy about sushi later, and what 'native' meant. Daddy never talked when other people were talking to Naruto, which the boy thought was rather silly, but Daddy said it was important.

"So," the Sandaime posed good naturedly, "what else has been going on in your life Naruto? Anything interesting?"

Naruto stopped squirming and trying to fix his seat by beaming brilliantly at the Sandaime, "Yeah! I met my nii-san! Kaka-niisan! He's wreally cooool!"

The Sandaime chuckled, "Is that so?"

"Yeah! He talks to me and smiles at me—" but he didn't hug "—and he doesn't stawre at me wid dose cold eyes!"

At the last phrase, his voice had trailed off. The Sandaime gave him a look full of sorrow, but Naruto didn't care about that. A thought had struck him, and it made him quiet.

"Hey, Jiji," Naruto asked softly, swinging his legs listlessly underneath him, "can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure Naruto," the Sandaime replied, his voice equally as soft, "ask anything you want. I can't promise that I'll answer, but there's never anything wrong with asking."

"De stawres, dey'wre…" Naruto struggled to find the words, and shifted his head towards a villager who had just passed one of his strawberry crates to a buyer, "Dey're not cold when I'm with you. Dey look… diffewrent."

For a moment, the Sandaime looked surprised, but then he quickly recovered.

"Ah," he said quietly, his voice sad. Naruto knew the emotion because Daddy often sounded sad too, even if Daddy never admitted it. "Ah well you see, I suppose that emotion that you see is… love."

Naruto pursed his lips. He knew what love was of course. He was a big boy. His daddy loved him, and the storybook mummies always loved their babies. And if that look that was directed at the Sandaime was love…

"Den dey wreally lobe you," Naruto said in nearly a whisper.

The Sandaime looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he patted Naruto's head. He smiled brightly, though there was something strained about that too, "That's probably because I'm the Hokage."

"Ho—ka—ge?" Naruto repeated, not really understanding. His daddy had explained that it was the position of the village leader, and that it was what the Sandaime was, but never anything more than that.

"Yes, the Hokage. It's my duty to protect the village, no matter what the cost. And I suppose the villagers are trying to repay that by being extra nice."

"Oooh…" he wasn't sure what 'no matter what the cost' really meant, but he did understand the 'extra nice' part. He hated how the villagers looked at him, he really did. Daddy said hate was a strong word, but Naruto was sure he wasn't wrong about this one.

Naruto perked up, suddenly breaking out of his slouch as he gave the Sandaime one long, accessing look. He wanted that love, wanted it more than anything. Sometimes he found that he did not mind because his daddy was with him, but there were other times when he could not help but mind. He wanted the cold stares to go away.

The Sandaime blinked down at the little blond in surprise, "Naruto…?"

Naruto took a deep breath, and then nodded up at the village leader. A bright smile split his face, and his blue eyes sparkling with determination. "You know I… I will earn dat title of Hokage!"


	4. Four Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years Old<strong>

"_Let's have ramen again tonight! …What do you mean you think we should eat something else? It's only been five days, so we still have time before we start to grow tapeworms. Minato, either you agree or I will denounce you as my husband! Yes, I have the divorce papers right here." ~Uzumaki Kushina_

* * *

><p><strong>Ninja Game<strong>

…**and one month (Naruto's Room)**

Minato did not know what to do.

Ever since that meeting with the Sandaime two months ago, Naruto had been enraptured by the idea of being Hokage. He did not quite shout it out to the world, but whenever he was feeling particularly happy, he would giggle to himself that he would 'be Hokage one day'. It was the same whenever Naruto was feeling sad, except that the giggles would not be present, only a quiet, burning sort of determination.

Minato had known that Naruto did not know what it meant. He was only four after all, with them having celebrated Naruto's birthday one month ago. To be honest he did not want Naruto to be Hokage, no matter how selfish it seemed.

He had been shocked beyond belief when Naruto had first uttered the words, for a moment unable to say anything because of the mixture of horror and memories that had assaulted him.

He remembered a similar child, a female with red hair, boldly declaring that she would take the title of village leader even when it was not clear that she had the ability. He had remembered the smell of blood and decaying flesh, the tragedy that came with poorly made decisions.

Minato admitted that he did _believe_ that his son could become Hokage, but he did not want that life for his child. It would be constant headache and heartache, and although gratifying, it would also be painful.

To be Hokage was to live a life beyond the existence of oneself. It was to live a life for the village. Minato had not been unhappy during his term, but he had also known that he might have been happier as a regular shinobi.

Minato had even revealed that all Hokage were shinobi in hopes of discouraging his boy.

Unfortunately, that had backfired spectacularly. When he told Naruto that all Hokages were trained warriors, and not just any warriors, but the best, he had expected his son to pout and back off because of all the hard work involved. He should have known better.

Naruto had instead, squealed about how 'coooool' it was, and had gotten more fire than ever to become the village leader.

He had bugged Minato for stories about what Hokages did, and Minato had not been able to refuse.

With every passing tale, Naruto became more and more enamored with the idea. What had started out as perhaps a passing fancy had turned into something more. When Naruto revealed his true reasons for wanting the position that night a month and a half ago, Minato's heart had nearly bled out from sorrow.

There were other ways of earning acknowledgement, and Minato had explained it to his son. But by that time Naruto had already become dead set on earning the title of Hokage, and there was little Minato could do to deter him.

It was so stupid. What Minato had sealed within Naruto ensured that Naruto could not have any life but that of a shinobi's, and yet strangely, Minato was feeling hesitant about teaching Naruto the ninja ways. But, it was Naruto's heritage, and Minato could not stop that.

"How long do I habe to keep doing dis?" Naruto complained, puffing out his cheeks in slight irritation and consequently drawing Minato out of his thoughts.

They were in the Academy forest again, resting against a tree as Naruto tried vainly to concentrate enough chakra to blow off the leaf on his forehead. After finding out that people did not become shinobi by simply declaring it, Naruto had quietly asked for his daddy to help him, and Minato had not been able to refuse.

For the past month Minato had begun incorporating a training regime for Naruto outside of games. It was not insanely difficult by any means, but it was somewhat taxing.

He had hoped to get Naruto off the idea of being a shinobi so early, but Naruto had stuck through it valiantly. They were currently on the leaf blowing exercise as far as chakra went, amongst various other physical activities.

"Until you can blow the leaf off your forehead ten times out of ten," Minato replied with a gentle smile, sending an affectionate picture to his son. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he wanted his baby to be the best. If his son was dead set on starting shinobi training so early, then the least Minato could do was to make sure that he wouldn't get killed early. "I've already explained this to you Naruto. I can't teach you anything else chakra related until you can do this."

Naruto sighed, pouting lightly as he adjusted the leaf's position, "Okay, okay."

The little blond had gotten really excited for jutsus. When Naruto had not initially understood what they were, Minato had sent him some images of people performing some basic, C-level jutsus. And then, caught up in the moment, he might have shown some higher ranked ones that simply looked impressive.

Ever since then, Naruto had been obsessed with wanting to learn jutsus, despite the fact that he was far too young for them. Minato had tried to explain as much, but Naruto had just tuned him out.

In the end, Minato had decided that this may be a perfect opportunity for Naruto to learn chakra control. After all, Naruto was the jailor of the Kyuubi, and as such, would likely have more trouble with the concept that any others his age.

"But," Minato added, not just for the sake of it, "if you're tired, we should probably stop for the day."

Naruto paused for a moment, looking as if he were seriously considering it, and then he shook his head. The leaf lost its position and fluttered to the ground, but neither of them paid it any attention. "Nah-uh. 'm still good. But! But! Can we play Firefighter afterwards?"

Minato chuckled at the reply. Even if he was unsure about the source, it was nice to see that his child had such dedication. However, his child still hadn't lost the playful innocence that Minato wanted to keep in him. "Yes, of course Naru-chan. Firefighter will be fun."

* * *

><p><strong>Big Brother<strong>

…**and two months (Konoha Orphanage Gates)**

Kakashi was nervous. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to, but somehow he had found himself promising to spend an entire day with Naruto. It had happened so very quickly; one moment Naruto was crying over something the villagers had said to him, and the next moment the silver haired teen found himself in this predicament.

He had no idea what to do.

It was one thing dropping in on Naruto every once in a while to give him a stiff greeting. That did not require him to gaze too much upon the face that so closely resembled Minato-sensei's face that he could practically feel his heart being wretched open. It fulfilled his obligations to the impulsive promise he had made to the smaller blond without forcing him to take a step he knew he'd never be ready for.

He met Naruto at the orphanage gates.

The little boy was waiting by himself, leaned up against the old outpost. Every once in a while a shiver wreaked his body, for the stages of winter were coming and while Fire Country was spared most of the harshness of the season, it was still colder than usual outside.

"Naruto," Kakashi asked as he floated down to meet the young boy at the gates. He'd been jumping on trees previously, and had even seen a ruffle of dark colored clothing that hinted towards the ANBU recruit who had been assigned to guard the Jinchuuriki of Konoha.

Naruto, who seemed to be an observant type of person by nature, surprisingly didn't seem to notice him until Kakashi had landed. The blond startled, but recovered just as quickly, sending up a bright smile to the older shinobi.

Kakashi strode forward, frowning as he leaned down and tightened Naruto's collar. The blond was wearing nothing but a shirt and shorts, which was abysmally inadequate. "Are you trying to catch a cold? These clothes aren't enough to keep you warm."

"Dun really have other clothes," Naruto said with a shrug, an expression on his face that ill suited him. But then his eyes brightened and the moment passed, "Well, I do have this coat thingy that the Sandaime bought me for my birthday, but it's too big and heaby and I didn' want it to slow us down! Da—some people thought I was being silly, but I'm not am I? We're going to be doing lots of fun things dat don't need a big fat coat slowing us down, right?"

Naruto was looking at him with wide earnest eyes, the most beseechingly pleading expression on his face.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, "Where are your guardians?"

That seemed to shut Naruto down. Confusion flashed across those wide blue eyes, replacing the earnestness, "Huh?"

"The people at the orphanage who take care of you," Kakashi clarified. "You know… the uh, ladies who take you out to play and stuff."

"Ohhh." Finally Naruto seemed to understand, and his reaction was about what Kakashi expected. His face fell. Children never liked to be reminded that somebody was in charge of them after all. "Don't got any of those."

"Ah I see," Kakashi nodded, only to pause as he ran the words through his mind again. "Wait, what?"

"I um, dun really habe a guardian from the orphanage," Naruto said hesitantly, ducking his head and shifting his feet as if he were the one who was guilty. "I mean, I know what those are, because the other kids have them, but I guess no one likes me enough to… I mean, I guess I haven't really earned their respect yet. I get that." And then his head snapped up, his eyes insistent, "But I do habe other guardians! ANBU-san up in that tree over dere looks out for me all the time!"

Kakashi felt too much to even take note of the fact that a four year old had just identified a shinobi who had probably spent years training in stealth so that even Kages might have trouble finding him.

He felt his fists clench at his sides. Was Naruto saying that… none of the orphanage patrons looked after him?

And then, as quickly as the stab of fury had hit, it dissipated, leaving only shock in its wake.

Anger was not an emotion that he'd felt for a long time, or maybe it was more accurate to say that he was in a constant state of smothering rage. Either way, this spike of emotion was unusual, and that was worrisome.

What if he felt such impulses during a mission? He'd overheard the higher ups talking, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was promoted to an ANBU captain. He did not care much for the promotion itself, but he knew what the responsibility meant. He'd learned it all those years ago with that disastrous mission on the border of Iwa which had taken from him, half of everything.

He could not afford to have emotional outbursts and possibly jeopardize his teammates. Never again.

"You should still wear a coat," Kakashi said dully, because what else could he say? He could not get mad at the civilians for simply displaying human nature, "Otherwise you'll catch a cold."

"I'm practicing circulating chakra," Naruto chirped brightly. "It'suppose to help wid keeping warm, you know."

Kakashi blinked, and blinked again, snapped out of his bitter thoughts. But Naruto just kept smiling, as if it wasn't completely ridiculous for a four year old to be able to manipulate chakra in a way that some chuunin had trouble with.

Not for the first time, Kakashi felt his image of Naruto splinter. Despite the fact that Naruto had Obito's smile, Naruto was not his friend. Obito had been well wishing and energetic, and Kakashi wished that he had learned to appreciate it sooner, but he was not in any way intelligent in the conventional sense. Naruto on the other hand, could very well be another prodigy in the making.

"That's great, Naruto," Kakashi said, trying his best to swallow the lump in his throat. He had no idea how to feel about this, so he did what he did best. Run away. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

"Kay," Naruto said happily, taking a step forward and showing that he was ready to go. "But um, where are we going?"

"A movie," Kakashi muttered, hesitating for the just the smallest of moments before taking Naruto's hand. While he never quite understood why Minato-sensei and Obito and Rin had always insisted on contact, he did have to admit that it would be easier guiding a small four year old along if they held hands.

Naruto's beaming face made Kakashi nearly drop his hand, but the silver haired jounin was one of the most feared shinobi of Fire Nation for the Shodaime's sake, and he wasn't going to let a four year old scare him off.

They walked towards the village proper at a sedate pace. Naruto was chattering about squirrels and chairs and knights and Kakashi had no idea how those things even related, so he allowed his thoughts to drift.

Not for the first time, Kakashi wondered if this was such a good idea after all.

When he'd first realized the implications of promising to spend a day with Naruto, that it would mean he would have to find some way to entertain a four year old, the movie had been the first thing to pop into mind.

There wasn't a lot he'd done in his childhood other than train, and he did even less now. There was one activity however that he did remember with some degree of fondness and honestly, it was the only thing he could think of that was appropriate for Naruto.

Whenever Team Minato had completed a C-rank or above mission and weren't given another one immediately afterwards, Sensei had always taken them out to watch the newest movie in the series that they'd followed ever since it'd first came out.

Kakashi had always pretended that he didn't like it, because it wasn't training and he couldn't help but guiltily feel that he was wasting time every time he went to go see it, but secretly, he was in awe of the kunoichi who never gave up.

It was only after the Fourth Hokage's death that Kakashi realized that his sensei must have known, and that was why he kept bringing Team Minato to the theaters.

"Here we are," he muttered when they finally arrived, and Naruto stopped mid-sentence to gaze wide-eyed up at the all encompassing billboards.

There, atop the entrance for Konoha's movie theatre was a colorful picture of a woman facing east, her face determined as the sun set behind her. Also behind her were three men wearing various costumes of old, their gazes adoring and steadfast in their loyalty.

He'd never understand why Princess Fuun was as popular as she was, because other than her character the story was a disaster, but he did have to admit that she was useful for this one time.

It was a different actress from when Kakashi had watched it with Team Minato, and it was just as well, because he didn't think he could handle going in otherwise.

"Wow," Naruto breathed, "this looks so awesome. Wow wow wow! This is the best day ever Kakashi nii-san!"

Kakashi had to shake his head to clear the image that had superimposed upon the blond child. It was one of Obito, dancing around with Rin as he blathered about how happy he was when he'd heard the plans for the day.

And didn't he know that everything could be ruined in just a split second of time, when you come home happy like a fool because you'd done so well on your worthless taijutsu match and wanted to show your daddy only to find his body hanging in the rafters? Didn't he know that anything could happen, like the image of your invincible father being shattered because you realized that he could and would abandon you just so that he wouldn't have to deal with his own pain?

"Don't be an idiot," Kakashi said with a hint of frustration, "the day hasn't even started yet."

Naruto shot him a hurt look, and Kakashi realized he had slipped.

"Sorry," he muttered, giving Naruto's hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's just get inside, alright?"

True to form, Naruto didn't stay down for long. He'd never been in a movie theatre before, and he immediately began crawling around, touching everything with an amazed expression and babbling about everything he could see.

Feeling guilty, this time Kakashi did listen, even if nothing really made sense.

"It's like he's an octopus!" Naruto squealed, hiding his face in laughter.

Kakashi shot his young charge a confused look, "What?"

"It's like—you know, he was waving his arms and those papery thingys were waving out behind him, and he kinda looked like an octopus."

"No I understand that. I just don't get why it's funny."

Naruto shot him a look like he was the dumbest person on the planet. Kakashi didn't know whether to be amused or frustrated about that, because whatever else he was, it could be agreed that Hatake Kakashi was not stupid.

Still, he did have to admit that it was refreshing to have someone who didn't think that he already knew all the answers.

Finally the movie started, and it was with no small amount of relief that Kakashi settled Naruto down. They were getting glares from some of the others who had come in to watch the latest in the Princess Fuun series, but Naruto didn't seem to notice those, so Kakashi also took no particular interest.

The opening credits began rolling, and Naruto wouldn't stop whispering about how cool everything was. Kakashi, who'd never really cared much if other people were being inconvenienced, didn't bother to shush him.

When the actual film began playing though, Naruto fell dead silent. Kakashi chanced a look at the blond only to find the four year old staring wide eyed at the screen, utterly entranced by the story playing out. Following the smaller blond's gaze, Kakashi allowed himself to relax and to also enjoy the movie.

The plot was as predictable as always. The princess's group came across some people who wanted help and presumed therefore, that they needed it. Plans were made, betrayals happened, and a 'last battle' of course was conducted. It was all very mundane.

And yet…

"As long as I live, I will turn everything I have into strength… and I will show that I can cut a way open!"

And yet Kakashi couldn't help but be reminded of Minato, of Rin, and especially of Obito. Those three had never given up, had they? Even when their lives were at an end, even when the fearful clutches of death were reaching out towards them, they were still able to joke and to dream about the future.

Kakashi choked on his breath. He couldn't do this after all. He couldn't. He wanted to shut down, to bury everything that was not logic and calculation because he didn't want to feel, couldn't feel something like this without going insa—

"What's de mat-er?"

Naruto's voice broke through his thoughts, through the silence that had somehow descended upon him. The tone was curious but concerned, and just low enough that nobody around them could hear.

Kakashi closed his eyes. It was then that he detected the faint wetness behind his eyes, and how two thin trails of damp coolness were trailing down his cheeks.

He realized that he was crying.

He turned to look at the one he had chosen to take with him to this movie, and for the first time, Kakashi was able to see the boy beyond the two great shadows of his teacher and his best friend.

And now he remembered why he had enjoyed these movies so much. It wasn't Fuun or even the movie itself; it was the setting. The memories were not ones of the negative kind, and he really had no right to make this about him and what he'd lost, did he?

He'd been awed by the princess, yes, but there was a small secret part of him that simply enjoyed spending time with his team. They had fun here. He'd never say it, but they had formed a pseudo family around him, and it was here at the movies that he felt that the most, with Rin and Obito pressed up against him and Minato-sensei overlooking them all.

"I'm fine," he said with a weak smile. It was the first smile he'd given in years, and it was shaky yet, but he felt as if Naruto deserved one.

Reaching out a hand, Kakashi grasped Naruto's little digits within his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. He wasn't completely cured yet, of that he knew very well, but this was a start. Minato's and Obito's ghosts were still very much present, but for the first time in a long time, he felt that he looked beyond them. And what he had found was humbling.

His voice was soft as it echoed through the emptying theatre, but no one could mistake the sincerity. "Thank you for accompanying me today, Naruto."

* * *

><p><strong>The Little Ramen Shop<strong>

…**and four months (Third District of Konoha)**

Nakano Teuchi was only the humble owner of a ramen stand, but even he knew right from wrong. He knew that the way that the rest of the villagers were treating the newest drifter of the Konoha markets was far from kind.

The little four year old was plodding along the streets, his strides hesitant as he passed by various restaurants and vendors. Teuchi had seen the boy around often enough to know that the blond was not lost in the most literal sense. He was sure that the child knew exactly where to head for any certain purpose.

And yet the boy still acted as if he had no idea where to go.

Teuchi knew the reason for it.

Everywhere he went, the restaurant owners and stand managers would treat him with a look of unease. Sometimes even a glare. The child seemed unusually perceptive to such things and it seemed to make the boy doubt himself. Nobody wanted him in their area, and that made it hard for the boy to choose any which place to go.

It was not that Teuchi did not understand his colleagues. Not only had the Kyuubi taken away their Yondaime, but it had also taken away Uzumaki Kushina, who had proved herself as a kunoichi of Konoha. The villagers had trusted her to deal with the beast and to keep it from harming them, but that was not the case with a four year old.

It was not really the fact that the blond boy was a jinchuuriki that bothered them, but rather, he was a jinchuuriki with unknown skills. The villagers could not trust a little boy to keep a hold of the demon when even the Red-Hot Habanero had lost control, in the end.

Nobody truly wished to harm a child, but the subconscious had always taken self-preservation more seriously than some moral code.

The only reason that Teuchi did not share the same terseness as the rest of the village was, perhaps, only because of what he knew.

Teuchi eyed the blond. For him, the connection was obvious, but then again, nobody had frequented his ramen stand more than the Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina in the year before they had died. Theirs was a relationship that had never been publicly announced, but when Teuchi saw the new Kyuubi jinchuuriki, all his doubts about his suspicions were overturned.

Sometimes he was tempted to say something, but as a ramen stand owner where shinobi frequented to discuss things that no civilian should hear, Teuchi had learned the art of keeping silent.

He realized that there were forces at work that he knew nothing about, and carelessly revealing something that he did know might lead to disasters he could have never foreseen. Living as long as he had in a village of shinobi, he had learned that much.

Nevertheless he felt sorrow for his two greatest customers. They were mother and father, yet they would never get the chance to see their beloved son grow up. They would never be there to help their child.

Above all else, Teuchi wanted his daughter to be happy, to be prosperous. He wanted to give her the best life possible, as was wont of all parents, and he did not want to confine her to a ramen stand.

Teuchi did not think that there was anything wrong with working at a ramen stand of course, but should Ayame ever want anything more in life, he wanted it to be available to her. He wanted to send her to school, an experience he had never been fortunate enough to receive.

Kushina and Minato would never get that experience.

Teuchi almost felt as if he owed his two greatest customers something—as a parent to parent, rather than as shopkeeper to customer.

So, when the small blond chose his ramen stand next, Teuchi did not turn him away. He welcomed the boy with open arms, and even when the rest of the villagers threw him wary glances, he did not regret his decision because of the wonder that filled those bright blue eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Drawing Days<strong>

…**and seven months (Second District of Konoha)**

"No Naruto, not quite like that. That line goes slightly more to the left."

His tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, Naruto adjusted the line he had been drawing, moving it exactly as Minato had pointed out to him.

Minato beamed in pride, "Yes, just like that, Naru-chan!"

The small blond was sitting at a small table at the ice cream parlour, his legs swinging underneath him because the chair was too high. Sheets of paper were spread out before him on the table, various patterns and designs scrawled onto their surfaces. A single, worn looking bag hung from the edge of the chair, swaying every few seconds as the wind blew past.

The owner of the space had ignored them for the most part, since Naruto wasn't really causing any trouble. Instead, all his attention was focused on the sheets of paper he had liberated from the Konoha Orphanage storage rooms. He was drawing, or, more accurately, creating seals.

In the end, Naruto was an Uzumaki, and Minato had decided that if Naruto were to learn the shinobi arts, then the first thing he should learn was sealing.

As of now, his Naru-chan still didn't seem to have all the fine motor skills required to create perfect seals, but Minato thought he could start Naruto on recognizing them. So, although the seals that Naruto drew up now would have no real applications, they greatly helped him in understanding and remembering them.

"Can I take a break?" Naruto asked quietly as he finished up the seal, letting out a wide yawn which almost made his face disappear.

Minato smiled. The truth of the matter was, Naruto found sealing very boring, and had actually fought Minato the first time the elder blond had suggested teaching it to him.

Still, it was the Uzumaki birthright, and one more thing that would connect Naruto to his mother, and Minato could not deny that. His son was free to become a bridge builder if he so desired, but Naruto becoming a master in sealing was something that Minato would not budge on.

Thankfully, all it took was a few carefully placed words about how Hokages would know the basics to sealing, and a few given images of what sealing could do that convinced Naruto the art might just be worth it. It didn't mean that a four year old boy could stand it most of the time, though.

"Sure Naruto," Minato said softly, because he did believe that they had done enough for the day. "What would you like to do now?"

Naruto shook his head to indicate that he didn't know, but did look around with wide blue eyes for anything that might catch his attention. Unfortunately, there was nothing out of the usual, only the regular bustle of Konoha and the occasional tourist taking photos.

The tiny blond frowned, leaning his chin against the table and puffing out his cheeks. There truly wasn't a lot they could do while they were outside.

Many of the games Minato and Naruto played required space for themselves, and Naruto was embarrassed to do the motions in front of the villagers of Konoha. He had gotten dirty looks the last time he had done it, more so than usual, and that made Naruto shy of being too loud in public.

"Hey I know!" Minato said as a sudden idea hit him. His best games usually appeared in such a manner, as did his flashes of brilliance for new seal constructs. He always had half-formed ideas and thoughts floating around in his head, and when they were ready to be borne into the outside world, they connected themselves automatically.

Naruto perked up, having become used to Minato's unexpected inspirations and knowing what they meant.

"Do you want to be a detective for today?" Minato asked mischievously, winking at his child even though he knew Naru-chan couldn't see it.

Naruto's eyes grew wide as he sat up in awe, "Like Detective Mouse?"

Minato nodded seriously, "Yes Naruto, exactly like Detective Mouse, except… even better, maybe."

Naruto squirmed in his seat, looking anxiously around, "But there are no mysteries!"

"Sure there are, Naru-chan. You see that lady who just walked by? What can you tell me about her?"

Naruto squinted. Minato sent him an image of the lady he was thinking of, and with a 'o', Naruto followed her with his eyes.

She was a tall, graceful woman who wore a long cotton dress. Her clothing still had some sheen to them. Silver dangled from her neck and peeked through the veil of her long dark hair as she moved, reflecting the late afternoon sun. Occasionally she stopped and greeted some others on the streets, despite the fact that she was carrying multiple bags that were full to the brim.

Naruto watched watched until she disappeared from sight, eyes wide as he tried to collect all the information that he could.

Minato coughed, and decided that he should give an example first. "Alright now, listen closely. That lady is a woman of middle class who recently became involved with a man of higher social standing. You can tell because the type of fabric she wears is inexpensive but not worn out, meaning that she can afford different types of clothing. However, the necklace and earrings she had were pure silver, which means that somebody wealthy go them for her. The only type of person whom a woman would accept such expensive gifts from is a beau.

"She was carrying bags of groceries, meaning that she had just gone shopping. More than that, the contents of her bags were quite full, meaning that she likely only shops once a week or so rather than a little every day. She is a person who likes to do things conveniently. This is exemplified by her clothing, which is a set that is opportune for moving around in. However, the clothing is of average style, meaning that this woman has no wish to stand out and would be perfectly content being a normal house wife.

"She held herself very well, which shows that she's confident in herself. Her shoulders were thrown back, and her chin was tilted up. She also showed no signs of paranoia, such as a constant shifting of the eyes, which shows that she feels very safe within the village. She is goal oriented, because she did not look around the street for things other than her destination, and the only time she greeted someone was when they were in her path or when they had greeted her first.

"She's also a very strong woman, probably having experienced some hardships growing up. I would say that she's the first born child of her family. She did not ask for anybody's help despite her heavy bags, even though she stopped and greeted a few of the people on the street. That also shows that she is social, since despite the fact that she has heavy bags, she still makes time for other people. If you ask around, you will probably find that this lady is very well liked, and the opinion of her is generally good."

Minato paused, wondering if he had dumped too much information on Naru-chan all at once.

Naruto's eyes _had_ turned a little glassy.

Minato decided that it was enough for now, even if he had only made surface observations. After all, Naruto hadn't quite learned how to read body language yet, let the slight tension to the woman's neck muscles which bespoke of personal problems she was probably ignoring.

"So Naru-chan, want to try?" Minato asked gently.

Naruto's eyes regained his focus, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay great," Minato smiled, "Now Naru-chan, remember that these are all assumptions, and you should never think that all your assumptions are correct, but they are good observations to make nonetheless. However, don't forget to revise your profile every time you find a new fact, alright?"

There was a pause as Naruto mulled over his words, and then he gave another, slower nod to show that he understood. "Like, if she said dat dere _was_ a Daddy, den dere's no beau?"

Minato smiled faintly. He hadn't quite explained to Naruto yet that even if a woman had a husband, that didn't necessarily mean that there couldn't be a lover. Still, Naruto did not need to know that at this stage of life. "That's exactly right, Naru-chan."

"Okay! I gots it!"

"Great Naru-chan!" Minato beamed. Really, his Naruto was so smart. "Okay, what can you tell me about that man over there?"

He sent the appropriate picture. It was a man in his mid forties, with a big, blustering figure and a merry smile on his face as he talked to one of the vendors. He was leaning across the front of the stall, slapping the vendor's arm every once in a while. The vendor himself was talking amiably, but throwing an annoyed glance at the man's hand every time it left the man's vicinity.

The man also wore regular cotton, though his was stained with dirt and had the look of being washed many times. His hair was cropped short, and he spoke with an accent that bespoke of poor education. Nevertheless, he was happy enough.

"Hmmm…" Naruto made a noise of concentration as he squinted, and then he gave a decisive nod.

Minato took this as his cue that Naruto was done. He had gathered as much as he could about the man, and now it was Naruto's turn to show off. "What'd you see, Naru-chan."

"He's big," Naruto replied. "That means… um, he probably eats a lot. His clothes are um, normal, so he's not a lord or something. He's smiling, which means that he's happy, but he hits his friend a lot, and they don't look like they're training, which means that he's not very nice."

Minato couldn't help it, he laughed.

Naruto frowned slightly.

"Sorry, sorry," Minato said, barely holding down his chuckles. While it wasn't quite what he was expecting, he couldn't say that it was wrong. Besides, this was Naruto's first time doing this type of thing. "You're completely right Naru-chan. Good job. I'm proud of you."

Naruto beamed at the praise. He looked around some more, practically bouncing in his seat in his excitement, "Next one, next one!"

Minato smiled softly, and gave the next person whom Naruto was to observe to his boy. First though, he told Naruto everything that he had seen. They went about the game for an hour, with Naruto improving slowly but surely every single time. By the end of it, Naruto's throat was going dry, and Minato decided that it was time to end the game.

Naruto's excitement dissolved, and he looked back at his pencil and papers forlornly. He evidently didn't want to go back to sealing.

Minato could only shake his head. He didn't quite understand how his and Kushina's son could dislike sealing, but maybe it was just the fact that Naruto couldn't do anything cool with it yet. Minato could definitely see Kushina blowing a casket at learning the basics.

He decided that Naruto could use a break. Although technically the detective game had been a break from sealing, it was also quite a learning experience, even if Naruto didn't realize it. Naruto could use some time for real, wasteful fun.

"How 'bout you just draw for a bit," Minato said gently. "You haven't done that for a while."

Besides, it might help with Naruto's motor skills. Although Minato had been teaching Naruto the basic seals, which Naruto could remember well enough, Naruto still couldn't quite illustrate them down well enough for them to work.

Naruto's face instantly cleared up as he picked up his pencil enthusiastically and got to work, "Okay!"

Minato chuckled, and turned his attention away. Although Naruto's attention was focused solely on his drawing now, Minato could still spot people from Naruto's peripheral. He had long mastered dividing his and Naruto's attention.

Now that he wasn't focused on what he might teach Naruto, Minato couldn't help but allow the hour of the detective game get to him. It had been a while since he had consciously observed people like that.

In the orphanage, Naruto hadn't gotten to see many people, so Minato's skill in that area had diminished. However, he hadn't noticed how much until he had consciously been trying to find things about people today and had noticed many things that he hadn't noticed subconsciously.

Before he had sealed himself within Naruto, he would have noticed all the things that he said and thought today without even thinking about it. It would have just been in the back of his mind, only brought up again when he needed the information. Now it seemed as if that skill had been lost in his years of isolation with Naru-chan.

Still, even as he spoke, he had felt the skill coming back to him, and it was only now that Minato realized how useful it would be to be able to do that again. While he personally couldn't make use of it, perhaps he could use it to help Naruto find friends, and later, avoid enemies.

So, while Naruto drew, Minato focused on the people passing, trying valiantly to figure out everything he could about them before they disappeared from his sight.

That is, until Naruto's excited voice drew him out of his thoughts.

"Look, look!" Naruto cried, throwing down his pencil and pointing one stubby finger at the picture he had been working on. "Look what I drew!"

Minato refocused on Naruto, and smiled at the picture, "Ah, that's an excellent lion, Naruto."

Naruto's smile drooped, "It's not a lion."

"Oh…" He had been sure he had gotten it right. Naruto had drawn a lion the last time, after all. "Tiger?"

"No."

"Elephant?" He supposed that those squiggles over there could be a tail, and those triangles did look awfully like ears…

"No."

"Centipede?" Perhaps the triangles weren't ears, but rather, eyes. The lines that he had assumed to connect to make four legs could very well be multiple legs which had unfortunately gotten entangled.

"No."

"…" Minato struggled to think of another animal that might resemble Naruto's figure on the paper. He was drawing a blank.

"Yo!" Kakashi said cheerily as he seemingly popped out of nowhere. He leaned over the side of Naruot's table, his eye was curved upwards into that upside down U again. He glanced at Naruto's drawing, "Ah, that's a nice squirrel, Naru-chan."

Naruto's face twitched, and then scrunched, and then the most horrible noise erupted from his lungs. "WAAAHH!"

* * *

><p><strong>Friends Forever<strong>

…**and eight months (Konoha Eastside Park)**

Naruto fiddled with the edge of his shirt, looking out from behind his tree nervously. He took a few deep breaths, telling himself to calm down, and then, he stepped out.

He couldn't be a chicken, he told himself, because Daddy wouldn't want a chicken for a son, and Kakashi-niisan would be ashamed of a coward for a brother. Naruto thought maybe the two were too nice to say it, but he didn't want to risk them not loving him anymore because he was a chicken.

Today was his first day in a playground outside of the orphanage. Actually, Naruto didn't remember being in a playground before, but the flashes of sand and grass did seem familiar to him.

At the orphanage, he'd always hid behind the pillars to look at the other children play. He did not know why, but he always had a dreadful feeling associated with the playground, and the orphanage grounds offered no shelter from the glares of the nurses.

Gathering all the courage he could in his little body, Naruto walked as confidently as he could towards the main grounds.

This playground had a set of swings and a slide, as well as a large cage thingy that had a lot of fun looking things attached like a fire pole and a rope climb. There were kids scattered everywhere, and parents chatting amicably on the benches. Naruto took a deep breath, and looked around for any group of children who looked like they could use another playmate.

His eyes passed over a pineapple attached to a boy playing tag with a bunch of others, a short and black haired girl who was bragging loudly to a crowd of wide-eyed children, and clusters of various others who had formed groups of two or three.

There was one boy however, who didn't seem to have been claimed by any of the other groups. He was chasing a dog, and had funny triangles on his face, but he looked very fun, and he might still want to play.

Naruto's face brightened, and he took a step towards the boy with the dog, when suddenly, something else caught his eye.

A pink haired girl who he had assumed was having fun with two other girls, had started crying. She had her face in her hands, and tears leaking out from between her fingers, but the other two girls who were with her did not start comforting her. Instead, they were grinning maliciously.

Naruto frowned.

"I think they're bullying her," Daddy said, speaking up for the first time since they got to the park. Sometimes, Naruto wondered if Daddy could read minds, because he always saw through Naruto's lack of understanding. "That means, ah, those two girls aren't being nice to the last one."

"O—oh!" Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. He knew plenty of people who weren't nice to him, and he didn't like the feeling one bit. He recalled that at those times, he had always wanted someone to notice him and to approach him, and to assure him that it was not the whole world which was against him. "Bu—but they're her age."

The only people who had been mean to Naruto were the really tall people and the really old people. Usually if Naruto was able to find one of the other orphans without the nurses around, they'd get to play a good game.

Daddy sighed sadly, "Children can be cruel as well. Remember that adults were once children too."

Naruto paused for a long moment, contemplating that, and then he puffed out his chest, "It's not right!"

Daddy hummed, but there was a smile in his voice, "No, indeed it isn't, Naru-chan."

Naruto nodded to himself, and marched over to the three girls. They were sitting on the grass fields some distance away, but Naruto was used to running around the forest, and the walk seemed like nothing. He stopped in front of them, coughing to get their attention.

The two girls who had been laughing with each other looked up, blinking as suddenly, their territory was invaded by a blond haired stranger. The pink haired girl hiccupped once and tried to stem her crying as she also looked up, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Hey!" Naruto said, crossing his pudgy little arms in front of his chest, "Leave her alone!"

There was a moment of silence in which the three tried to process what exactly he was demanding. The pink haired girl seemed to be the one to understand first, because she allowed her hands to drop from his face and smiled brilliantly at him.

One of the bullies blinked, and sniffed. She got up in one wobbly motion, and brushed off her skirt, her nose in the air, "Well, 'kura-chan wath ge'ing bowring anyway. Leth go, Mitha."

The other girl nodded enthusiastically, and also tottered to her feet. The two stood there for a moment, looking as if they were waiting for something. There was a pregnant pause, and then the girls looked at each other and one shifted guiltily. Without another word, the two turned and vacated the area.

"What was that all about?" Naruto muttered to himself, adequately confused.

"They wanted you to invite them to play, Naruto," Daddy said gently, though there was an amused undertone in his voice.

"Oh." For a moment, Naruto felt a keen sense of loss. He would have loved to play. He debated running after the two, but then a loud sniffle caught his attention, and he remembered the crying girl. He couldn't leave her alone.

Whenever he cried, Daddy always tried to comfort him. And then, he felt loads better. He thought it was only fair if he tried to make other people feel loads better too.

"You okay?" He asked the pink haired girl, plopping down beside her.

For a moment she just stared at him, and that made him feel weird, but her stare wasn't cold at all, so he thought he could deal with it. Finally, she nodded, still sniffing, "Ye—yeah. Thank yous."

Naruto beamed, although he had no idea what he was being thanked for. Still, he knew his manners, and he knew exactly what to say. "You're welcome!"

There was a pause, in which none of them really said anything. Naruto shifted, uncomfortable with the silence. He thought back to what he said, and realized that he hadn't actually done anything that Daddy usually did at all. He tried to think of what to say.

"Um, is anything wrong?" Naruto finally asked, and at the girl's confused look, waved his arms empathetically, "I mean, you were cwrying!"

"O—oh," the girl looked down, fiddling with the edge of her sundress, "I—nobody will play with me, so I was sad."

Naruto frowned at that. He knew exactly how it felt when nobody would play with

"That's alright then! I will play with you—" Naruto stopped in the middle of his declaration when he realized that he didn't actually know the girl's name. How silly! He jumped up, grinning, "I'm Naruto. What's youwr name?"

The girl's mouth opened and closed, and then she too bowed in greeting, "'m Sakura. But… but I don't know if you'll want to play with me."

"Why's that?" Naruto asked, curious.

"I—I've got a big fowrehead!" Sakura said, her eyes suspiciously shiny.

Wow! Naruto had read that princesses had shiny eyes, but he hadn't been able to imagine it before.

"You're a pwrincess, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said happily, spontaneously hugging the girl. While he hadn't actually been hugged much in his life, his daddy always gave him images of him being hugged, and besides that, he had read that hugging was what friends and family were supposed to do.

Sakura stiffened in his arms, "H—huh?"

"You are a pwrincess," Naruto said to himself in amazement as he stood up again. And then, he grinned, and struck a pose, "So I'll be your knight! Let's go find the super secret medicine for the queen, Pwrincess Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked, and blinked again, and then she giggled and also stood, "Can I be a magical pwrincess who has special powers?"

"Course Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, "And our enemy will be a meanie warlock who stole all of our cookies!"

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped, looking horrified for real, "Not my mum's cookies! They're the best!"

"Yeah, so we've got to go and pick a bone with that guy," Naruto agreed, shaking his fist at seemingly nothing. With one smooth motion, he grabbed onto Sakura's hand, and started dragging her to the playground, "Come on! We've got no time to waste!"

Even though he said that, the adventure was harsh. Monkey bars became bridges across lava pits, slides became escape tunnels, and flowers became evil fairies who were secretly working for the warlock. Naruto had never had so much fun in his life.

When it was finally time to go, and Sakura's mum had come to pick her up, Naruto almost felt like crying.

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto complained, "we didn't get to the secret medicine yet."

Sakura only giggled, even as her mother dragged her away by the same hand that Naruto had held while they raced across the Konoha ravines, "Then, then we'll get it next time, Naru-chan!"

Naruto instantly brightened, and he was almost able to ignore the fact that Sakura's mother didn't seem to like him, just like none of the other mothers had liked him. "Alright Sakura-chan, see you next time!"

But there never was a next time, despite what Sakura had promised.

When Naruto went to the park for a tenth day, and still found no sign of Sakura-chan, he knew that something was wrong.

"Why isn' she coming?" Naruto whispered sadly.

He hadn't realized he had asked it aloud, but apparently he had, because Daddy answered.

His voice was beyond gentle, "Hey, Naru-chan, I'll give you permission to use some of the money Kakashi-niisan gave you, alright? Let's go get some ice cream."

Naruto didn't really want ice cream. He wanted Sakura-chan back. While it had been really fun playing with the other children, it had been different with Sakura-chan. Nobody had been able to keep up with his adventures before, and she had even said that she wanted to see him again!

Had that been a lie? Or had Sakura's mummy just forced her away like all the nurses did with the orphanage children? It was really unfair.

He didn't know why mummies and daddies could be so mean. His daddy wasn't like that at all, and Naruto thought that they should all take some lessons from him.

And that thought reminded him. Even if he did not have a friend, he did have the best daddy in the world.

"Alright, ice cream!" Naruto chirped, turning away from the playground and skipping towards the Konoha marketplace. He wasn't really feeling alright, but his daddy was trying his best to cheer Naruto up. The little blond was not stupid; he knew that Daddy would never offer him sugar regularly.

But, Naruto thought that maybe, just maybe, he would be alright, because he could be for his daddy.

* * *

><p><strong>A Moment in Time<strong>

…**and eleven months (Teuchi's Ramen Stand)**

Yakushi Kabuto was not having a good day.

For all intents and purposes, he _should_ have been having a good day since he had just recently passed the genin exams which so few were able to do, but he could not bring it in himself to be content.

His teammates were both members of a clan, and while the clans were both minor ones, his teammates did not seem to get the hint and constantly lorded it over him. They also made a lot of unsavory not-so-subtle comments relating to the past he had before he met the Captain of the Medical Corps. It made him angry.

Kabuto shifted on the stool that was his seat, a light frown making its way across his features as he leaned in more closely to the stand at which he was sitting.

The only reason Kabuto had not lashed out at the two yet was because he knew his father would not want him to. Kabuto owed that man everything. Yakushi Genrei had taught Kabuto to be calm and patient in situations like this, and Kabuto was loathe to disappoint him.

Added to that, Kabuto was very much aware of the fact that Genrei had pulled a lot of strings to get Kabuto to graduate. While Konoha did not do something as wasteful as pre-choosing the candidates that were set to become shinobi, they did rig the teams so that the clan children were more likely to pass.

Civilian teams still passed the genin exams every once in a while, but it was very rare and only happened when there was exceptional talent. Clan children had been raised as shinobi all their lives, and sticking three clan children together was a sure way to make a workable genin team. Either way, it benefited Konoha.

Genrei of course, was one of those civilian exceptions, but he had seen it fit to give Kabuto the best chances possible. Kabuto was an intelligent boy, and all of this he gathered from eavesdropping and gathering random tidbits of information.

He knew that his father had done everything that he could to get Kabuto on the team that he was on now. He also knew that if Genrei hadn't done such a thing, Kabuto would have probably failed the genin exams and ended up staying back another year.

It didn't make Kabuto feel any better, though.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a loud crash somewhere behind him, and then childish laughter which split the air. Almost automatically Kabuto turned to look, just in time to see what appeared to be a fair haired four year old laughing an apology at the streetlamp he had just knocked over.

With a shake of his head Kabuto turned back to the stands, but not before catching the disgusted looks the people around had shot at the child for doing something so stupid.

"Naruto!" The ramen stand owner called out cheerfully, and Kabuto was confused for a moment on why the cook was shouting out an ingredient to the world. And then the owner leaned over the side of his stand and Kabuto realized that it was a greeting.

"Teuchi-san!" The blond exclaimed back with an equal vigor, scrambling to the nearest empty stool. Unfortunately, it happened to be the one beside Kabuto's.

Kabuto barely restrained a sigh. It was obvious that the stand owner and the child knew each other, and he had little wish to be caught in between what was bound to be an exuberant exchange.

"Ah," it was just then that the stand owner's attention turned back to Kabuto, "have you ordered yet?"

Kabuto shook his head, "No, not yet. I was still thinking over what I wanted."

This was the first time he'd ever been to a ramen stand. It was part of the reason he was here in the first place. Nobody would expect him to be here, and hence, he was less likely to be found and be forced through conversations he did not particularly desire at the moment.

"You should order Miso," The little boy named Naruto whispered conspiratorially, "it's the bestest!"

Kabuto's lips twitched into an amused grin. He had no idea whose kid escaped from them, but he did have to admit, this little Naruto was cute. Maybe it wasn't so bad that the child had chosen to take a seat next to him. "Is that so?"

"Uh-huh." Naruto nodded like it was the most serious thing in the world, as all kids were wont to do.

Teuchi chuckled, reaching over across the stand and ruffling the child's hair, "Little Naruto here likes to help out. He's always giving new customers advice on what to order."

Naruto basked in the hair ruffling, the beam on his face brighter than Fire Country's sun. "Everything you have is good, but your Miso is still the best! And I'm not so little anymore Teuchi-san. I'm nearly five!"

The last was said with a bit of a pout.

Teuchi and Kabuto shared a look of amusement.

Kabuto did order Miso in the end. He couldn't really see a reason not to, and true to Naruto's word, it was rather delicious.

"This is good," Kabuto said with a smile as he looked to the smaller boy. "You're not bad at choosing these things, Naruto-chan. I think I might come to Ichiraku's more often."

"You should, you should!" The child beamed, "The food is really really good, but Teuchi-san is gooder!"

Kabuto chuckled at the reply, but he thought he understood where Naruto was coming from. There was a strange sense of peace and acceptance that he got at the ramen stand, though he hadn't noticed it before because he was so focused on his thoughts.

It was almost like being back home in the library, where he knew that nobody would disturb him.

They chatted for a little while longer. Teuchi had long since gone to help other customers, but Kabuto didn't mind. Talking with the four year old was fun. He was very amusing, and sometimes he had interesting viewpoints. It was a shinobi village though, so soon their conversation hit a dangerous patch.

Naruto's eyes widened at Kabuto's humorous reiteration about what one of his teachers had done during his graduation exam. The eye widening hadn't however, been because of what Kabuto thought it would be. "Wow… you're a ninja!"

Kabuto's smile tightened, the disastrous meeting with his teammates still fresh in his mind, "Only since a few days ago. I'm afraid I can't tell you any exciting stories yet."

The four year old, surprisingly, seemed to pick up on his unease, because in the next moment, he was frowning. "Kabuto-san… don't you want to be a ninja?"

Kabuto let out a breath. Now wasn't that a loaded question?

Being a shinobi wasn't nearly as glamorous as everybody thought it was. He'd worked under Genrei long enough to know that. Helping out his father at the hospital, Kabuto had seen the freshly minted shinobi and the veterans alike being carried home in stretchers, missing parts of their bodies or sometimes worse, parts of their minds.

He'd nearly given up on the prospect of becoming a shinobi then, if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to prove himself different from his previous village. As it was, he felt the need to serve Konoha wholeheartedly. To show his father that he hadn't been wrong in saving Kabuto.

"It's not about want," Kabuto said carefully, "I didn't choose this profession to gain happiness."

If he wanted happiness, he might have chosen to open a flower shop similar to the one the Yamanaka's owned. He did love tending to plants. They never judged him, and they gave him back the same amount of love that he put into them.

But treating a flower shop would never give his father back the honor that he'd lost the day he decided to adopt Kabuto. Flowers were at best mementos to the deceased, and Genrei's legacy would forever be preventing death and the need for flowers.

The look on Naruto's face was nearly heartbroken. "But if you're ninja, everyone'll love you! Don't you think you'll be happy being loved?"

Kabuto chucked bitterly, "I don't think it works like that."

Naruto only shook his head in response, "Na-uh! It will so work like that. Everyone will see that you're trying super hard, and then they'll be touched and then they'll love you! I'm not saying that it'll be easy, but it'll happen, believe it!"

Kabuto looked at the little blond child and his innocent cherub face. "If you still believe that in eight years when you're a genin, then I might start listening to you."

That thought brought home exactly how young Naruto was.

"I can't believe I'm arguing with a four year old," Kabuto muttered.

"I'm almost five!" Naruto protested, holding up five chubby fingers as if that somehow supported his point.

"Right, right," Kabuto said as if he were only humouring the other boy, but he did have to admit that it certainly didn't _feel_ like he was arguing with a four year old. Naruto probably had more intelligence than both of his teammates, combined.

Oh yes, he was feeling vicious.

That somehow got them off the topic of shinobi, and onto areas of conversation Kabuto had no idea even existed. Before he knew it his noodles were finished and the cup had long since grown cold.

They were in the middle of an interesting variation of 'I Spy' when Naruto suddenly cut himself off and puffed out his cheeks. He looked for a moment as if he were arguing with himself, and then his face fell dramatically.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh," Naruto's said morosely, "I need to get going. Time passed really quick today didn't it? The matron at the orphanage is putting everyone to sleep soon, and I have to be back before then or else I might wake people up and then she'll be mad."

Kabuto blinked at the confusing order of events and Naruto's logic. He sighed. He supposed that no matter how intelligent Naruto was, he was still a child.

"Your matron is just worried about you," Kabuto assured with the faintest hint of a smile, "trust me I know. My father is like that too. He never wants me to stay out too late because he's afraid that I'll get kidnapped or something."

Naruto just gave him a long, sad look.

"Daddies are the bestest, aren't they?" Naruto asked quietly, before hopping off his stood and giving Kabuto a wave of goodbye. "Come here again!"

Kabuto watched the blond leave carefully, and couldn't help but come to a startling revelation.

The eyes that followed Naruto. They were the same as the ones that followed him.


	5. Five Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years Old<strong>

"_Mi—Minato, you're the first person who's ever believed in me. I—I—I've never been very good at school, or even at eating, and my parents love me but… but I know that they think I won't amount to anything either. It's because of you Minato, that I've learned that I too, can help out. Thank you." ~Akimichi Nobu, Team Jiraiya_

* * *

><p><strong>Cleaning for Dummies<strong>

…**and four months (Seventh District Konoha)**

Sunshine spilled through the tall, wide sheets of glass, bathing the room in glorious light. Dark curtains fluttered at each side of the ornate windows, ready to be pulled closed and plunge the room into darkness. The furniture—though not expensive—looked comfortable enough, and littered the room in a pleasant and airy manner. Off to the sides were multiple doors connecting to other places of the floor, and from the arrangement of the whole building, and one could guess that they had about four rooms available to them.

Normally such an area would have looked gorgeous, but in light of the grey clothing which should have been white hanging from the edges of the furnishings and the upturned ramen cups littered just about everywhere, the sunlight only served to accentuate how sloppy the place looked.

Minato couldn't help but wince as Naruto stepped past the doorway to the living room and yelled a brilliant, "Tadaima!"

The words echoed in the empty apartment, but Naruto didn't seem to care as he took off his shoes, humming a tune he'd heard on the streets. Naruto, Minato supposed, had his own way of dealing with their new living arrangements.

A month ago they'd been contacted by the Hokage, and had been offered a private place to live.

Naruto wasn't kicked out of the orphanage _per say_, but the bias had gotten so bad that even his little angel couldn't handle it anymore. Or rather, it wasn't that the prejudice got any worse; it was just that Naruto was getting better and better at detecting it.

That, combined with the Head of the Orphanage's complaints, and Naruto's age, allowed for the five year old to move into his own space.

The door swung shut behind them, enclosing the two in a place that was now solely their own. The ANBU guard was situated outside, ready in case something drastic happened, but otherwise not privy to any of their privacy.

To be honest Minato had mixed feelings about this place. On one hand it was a much more spacious room for Naruto to play around in, but on the other hand, he wasn't too fond of the reasons why Naruto got an apartment all to himself.

It was just awfully lonely, especially for one little boy.

"What else are we doing today?" Naruto chirped as he trailed to one of the small couches. They'd just spent the past three hours in the marketplace playing a new game Minato had invented three weeks ago.

Minato's lips quirked, although not all of his humor was good, "You know what Naruto? What do you think about doing some cleaning?"

It'd been only a month since they'd moved in, and the immaculate space that the Sandaime had initially left for them had turned into a completely whirlwind jutsu.

Minato barely held back a sigh. The Hokage had done his best in getting Naruto a good place to live, but the fact of the matter was that Naruto was only a five year old. Even with Minato here to tell Naruto what to do, it'd be hard for a mere child to cook, clean, and eat every day. Heck! Even Minato had hardly been able to manage it.

Minato hadn't really taken note of the increasing mess, because Naruto didn't spend a lot of time in the apartment anyway, but when he tripped over a pile of dirty clothing that went up to his knees, Minato decided that enough was enough.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't see it that way.

"No!" The young blond huffed, crossing his arms. After all, nobody liked cleaning.

Minato sighed, and resigned himself to thinking about a way to make the idea of cleaning into something positive. It was almost funny in its way. The Yellow Flash of Konoha, hailed as a genius in his generation… had to use the same vein of thinking that had created the Hirashin to get a five year old to do chores.

"How about this?" Minato asked after mulling it over for a while, "I'll teach you something neat to get the job done."

Naruto brightened immediately, and Minato knew he had him.

With a laugh, Minato sent an image of the tree walking exercise to Naruto's mind.

Naruto gasped, a hand jumping to his mouth in awe. He squeezed his eyes shut, and then leapt into the air and clicked his heels together as he pumped his fists into the air. Minato laughed. He had no idea where Naruto had gotten the idea that the posture was cool, but it was certainly adorable.

"You're the bestest daddy!" Naruto gushed when he settled down a bit. "I'll clean! I'll clean!"

"First things first," Minato said lightly, "do you know what it would be used for?"

Naruto's face scrunched up in thought, and after a moment, he nodded. "Uh-huh. Fire Country has tons of trees, so if shinobi could walk on trees, it'd help them with mobility. I'd also wager that part of tree walking allows them to learn how to be silent amongst leaves, and that'd give them a huuuge advantage in hiding."

"Very good Naruto," Minato said proudly. He was always impressed by how much his son managed to pull from one hint. "But this isn't limited only to trees, here…"

He explained to Naruto the intricacies of tree walking, and how it could be applied to other surfaces too, like their wall. He also gave a detailed lesson of how one went about mastering the technique, and Naruto listened very intently.

"So, what we're going to do," Minato finished, "is learn to tree walk and clean your room at the same time. Every time you fail and fall back down, you're required to pick up one piece of trash or clothing. Fair?"

Naruto nodded, "Fair."

"Alright. You may use the feather duster to mark your progress."

"OK!" Plodding along, Naruto found the aforementioned tool and took a breath, and then he ran towards the wall. He actually got up five steps from sheer velocity alone before gravity had its way.

With a yelp Naruto fell back towards the ground, but not before he had forced a patch wall to crumple slightly with the chakra he had exerted through his soles. He twisted himself in the air to land on his palms and with a simple bend of the elbows, flipped himself over to a standing position again.

Minato winced. Although he was only five, Naruto had inherited the Uzumaki reserves and added to that, he was the slowly but surely absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra. Although Naruto wouldn't be doing any higher ranked jutsus any time soon, he did have considerably more chakra than any other child his age.

Naruto stared sadly at the little patch that signified how high he'd been able to climb before spinning on his heel and plucking the nearest piece of trash, just like he promised. "Oh muck it."

"If you break the walls," Minato joked, "you'll have to fix that up too."

Naruto just stuck out his tongue at the nearest reflection, and Minato laughed.

The small blond however, took his father's words to heart. He was more careful with how much chakra he used, and Minato was proud to say that the wall didn't get dented again.

As Naruto worked, putting away a piece of garbage with every failure, Minato allowed his mind to wander.

He honestly wasn't a big proponent for a small child living by himself, but he supposed that if they were at the orphanage, they wouldn't be able to do something like this.

Perhaps if there were one or two matrons who cared for his child at the orphanage Minato would have convinced Naruto to stay, but it seemed that ever since the death of the little lady named Chosi Kimiko, the nurses had become ever increasingly paranoid around the blond child.

It wasn't quite that they believed that being in close proximity to the Jinchuuriki had done Kimiko in, but it seemed that they decided to stay far away just in case.

Of course, Minato would never trade Kimiko's attention to his baby for the world, not even the fondness of the few of the other nurses back at the orphanage. Despite her frail body she had cared for him, and there wasn't a day back then that Minato didn't wish that he could somehow repay her for what she'd done.

Everyone was redeemable, but from the start Kimiko had not judged Naruto based on his burden, and that to Minato was hundreds times better than the care that the nurses might have provided in the future if that did not happen.

It was all has-beens anyhow. It was unlikely that Kimiko's death actually had much to do with how the nurses viewed Naruto. Like everything else, it was likely only another excuse to stay away from the Jinchuuriki.

When he'd found that Kimiko had passed quietly in his sleep, Minato had been sad for her. But she'd lived a full life and was more than ready to meet the shinigami.

Naruto had been far too young to remember her, and Minato didn't know if he should tell the tale of the kindly old woman to his son or not. On one hand it'd show Naruto that not everyone cared about whatever it was that set Naruto apart. On the other hand, it seemed asinine to bring up the forgotten character of someone who'd been dead for over three years.

That thought brought a stirring of discomfort, and Minato hurriedly pushed it away in favor of bringing his attention back to his son. The progress he saw shocked him.

"Alright, that's enough."

There was a momentary pause before Minato's request got through to Naruto. Naruto fell off his place on the wall again, his concentration ruined. Like always, he landed no worse for wear, although his expression was far from happy.

"But I want to get this!" Naruto cried.

"You've already done more than enough for today Naruto, I'm very impressed. Good job. But, we don't want you to get chakra exhaustion, do we?"

"But um," the five year old's face scrunched up in an expression of hard thought before he suddenly jumped up with a crow of triumph. "Ah-ha! But what about my room?"

Minato only laughed in reply. "Look around you Naru-chan. The room is spotless."

* * *

><p><strong>First Day<strong>

…**and seven months (Academy Entrance Gates)**

Naruto shifted from foot to foot, twisting the edge of his shirt nervously as he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. Today was his first day at the Academy, and he didn't want to mess this up!

Children of various ages streamed past the gates, either chattering with their friends or hiding back a yawn from waking up too early. A few of them shot Naruto a curious glance as they passed, obviously wondering about the small child stood frozen in front of their school's gates with nothing but a backpack in his shaking grasp, but Naruto was too nervous to really take note.

He was standing at the threshold between the civilian identity and the ninja one, but he couldn't bring himself to take the final step and enter into the place where he would finally be learning to become a true shinobi.

"Really big breakfast, check. Notebooks and writing utensils, check. Packed lunch, check," Naruto muttered to himself, once again mentally going through his list to make sure he'd forgotten nothing before taking a deep breath. It was now or never.

Nodding to himself, Naruto took a step forward. And then another. And then another.

"See Naru-chan?" Daddy said encouragingly, "It's not so bad, is it?"

Naruto breathed out, his whole body sagging with the released tension. He smiled, "No, it isn't!"

Feeling much brighter now, Naruto shifted his pack from his back and fumbled around for the standardized yellow paper he'd been issued. Finally, he found it.

Blue eyes scanned the pages, and Naruto let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the number on the sheet matched the one that he remembered. It was a notice telling him what his classes would be, and where they would take place. It'd always been on Naruto's mind, but he had to admit he was afraid he'd gotten it wrong somehow and would end up making a complete fool of himself.

"Room 102," he confirmed, and then put the paper away as he walked confidently towards his new classroom.

It was, thankfully, easy to find. The rooms at the Academy were numbered in a really orderly fashion. Naruto even ended up being stopped a few times by other new students who thought he was a senior and questioned on which way to go for their classroom.

He happily pointed out the directions to them.

Finally he arrived at Room 102. The door was propped open, no doubt in anticipation of all the new students to come, and the laughter behind those doors spilled out into the hallway.

A quick glance told Naruto that there were seventeen in the room, and if he went by the empty chairs, twelve had still yet to arrive. The children were scattered everywhere about the room, sitting already either in clusters of two or three or in a little space to themselves.

A quick glance also informed him of a prescience he hadn't expected at all, although really, he should have.

Naruto froze.

"What's the matter, Naru-chan?" Daddy inquired, obviously having noticed Naruto's discomfort if not the source.

"It—it's Sakura-chan…" Naruto said hesitantly, looking at a very familiar head of pink hair standing easily in the third row. They'd only played together that one day, but it had been one of the best days of his life! And she was one of the only people who had ended up playing with him at that park after all.

She was talking to another girl, a blond one. There was a strong air about her, but she didn't look mean like those other girls at the park. The happy expression on their faces told Naruto that they were at talking about something probably really fun.

He shifted from foot to foot, suddenly unsure of what to do. He really did want to go up and ask what they were talking about, but it was Sakura who hadn't come back last time and he still didn't know the reason.

Daddy's warm chuckle brought Naruto out of his whirling thoughts.

"Naru-chan," Daddy said gently, "If you want to do something, you should go it. Go on."

Naruto briefly closed his eyes, and gave a determined nod to show that he understood. Taking a deep breath, Naruto bounced over to the two, a bright smile on his face.

"Hi!" He chirped in greeting, causing the blond one to stop her chatter mid-sentence and instead turn to look at him. "I'm Naruto."

The blond one smiled. It was a slow smile that spread all the way to her eyes, "I'm Ino."

Sakura, who'd looked taken aback by Naruto's introduction, was quick to revert back to her shy self at Ino's easy acceptance of the other blond. "I'm uh… Sakura. Pleased to meet you."

_Pleased to… meet you?_

There was only one way to interpret that sentence, really, unless they were super secret spies who had codes which he knew they didn't. He'd become an expert in reading body language, and she had no spark of recognition in her eyes.

She didn't remember him!

He quickly exchanged some pleasantries and excused himself, mind whirling with shock and disappointment. The only reason he hadn't isolated himself immediately to think was because the manners Daddy taught him didn't allow it.

Naruto spent the next hours of class in gloom. The teacher came in and he followed the instructions to his seat, but he did so like a zombie with an overlord and showed no enthusiasm at all. Even his introduction was lackluster. He couldn't get over the fact that Sakura-chan had completely forgotten him!

"Naru-chan," Daddy tried to soothe, "it was a long time ago. I didn't even remember about Sakura-kun until today, and she was really young and it was only one day. Normally people would have forgotten by now."

He knew Daddy was trying to make him feel better, he did, but there was the fact that _he_ hadn't forgotten. He could see how the meeting might mean nothing to Daddy, but Sakura-chan had played with him! If she forgot, then it had to mean that it wasn't an important memory to her.

He was depressed all the way until the lunch bell rang and they were let out for their daily meal.

"This sucks," Naruto mumbled to himself as he unpacked the bento box he'd bought from a en route convenience store on the way to school.

"What sucks?" asked a boy with triangular tattoos on his cheeks as he popped over Naruto's shoulder, "Your lunch?"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. While he was usually good at picking out when people were coming up to him because of the sounds that they made, it was a very rowdy classroom and he kinda started not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Oh hey! Your lunch isn' bad at all!" The tattooed boy exclaimed. He sounded excited, "You have a spwring roll. What do you dink of twrade? Come eat wid us!"

Naruto perked up, wondering if he'd just been invited to lunch. Blue eyes grew wide with delight, "Okay!"

The brown haired tattooed boy, who'd introduced himself as Kiba, led Naruto to his group of friends. They all had really awesome meals, and there was a lot of exchanging of goods going around before they were all happy with their lunches and just set down to eat.

"Wanna play a game?" One of the other boys asked through his sandwich. Some small pieces were spewed out onto his desk. "Sitting 'round 's bowring."

Though Daddy had taught Naruto to never eat and talk at the same time, he didn't really care when other people did it. The blond was immediately taken by the suggestion, "Hey hey I know! Let's play 'I Spy!'"

Kiba snorted, "Dat's a game for babies."

Naruto shook his head, "Na-uh! It's a super special version! Alright, here's how you play—you see that teacher over there?"

He proceeded to detail everything that he saw and what he thought that they meant.

Everyone's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Dude!" Another boy, a red haired one this time, exclaimed, "Dat's awesome!"

Naruto couldn't help but puff out his chest in reply.

"Alright," Naruto beamed, "Your turn!"

"OK!" The redhead point at a random girl, "Dat girl has black haiwr and… blue eyes!"

Naruto frowned. He squinted at the girl the other was pointing at. Sure enough, she didn't have blue eyes.

"Oooh! My turn, my turn!" One of the other boys exclaimed, and the challenge was on.

At first it was kinda awesome because all the boys thought he was super awesome for being able to pick out all the intricacies of the teachers who'd passed them, but the novelty of being praised quickly tempered off. Somehow it didn't feel the same as it did when Daddy praised him. Not as good, somehow.

And when his sense of pride fell, so did his sense of fun. Playing 'I Spy' with Daddy or Kabuto was always really challenging, because they'd always be able to pick out things that he'd missed, so he'd be forced to be super careful. That wasn't the case with Kiba and the others.

They never got any observations right, and when they did, it was so obvious it could hardly be called an observation at all. When it was Naruto's turn, they never pointed how what he had missed, but Naruto knew for sure that he was missing lots of stuff!

And they weren't even getting better as each game passed! It was really frustrating.

So it was a relief when Kiba yawned and suggested that they play something else.

"'s bowring," he said, "let's play Ninja!"

And nobody turned down Ninja. Never.

"Okay, so the setting's like dis," one of the boys, Hibiki, said with a gleam in his eyes as he leaned forward. Everyone leaned forward with him to hear better. "It's ten yeawrs in the futuwre and we're all shinobi. The Sandaime still hasn't eliminated all the Iwa ninja, so now it our job. We habe to compete wid each othewr to see who can kill the mostest Iwa nin!"

Everybody cheered.

"I'll get the mostest," Kiba boasted, "I'll win!"

"We'll see!" Another shouted back.

"No, _I'll_ win."

Naruto, who had been waiting for a continuation of the story, realized that it was it.

"But the Iwa nin didn't even do anything wrong in that story," Naruto protested, confused about why they needed to be hunted down.

Hibiki, who had been joining in the puffing of pride and making of bets with the others, turned back to Naruto in bewilderment, "So? Iwa nin are evil, everyone knows dat."

"No they're not. They're people, just like you and me."

"But dey killed a ton of Konoha citizens in the Third Gwreat War!"

"And we killed a lot of their people, too," Naruto retorted back stubbornly. This was a lesson that Daddy had stressed a lot, and after Naruto had thought about it, he got why. It was dangerous to go around thinking that some people didn't deserve to live, because that wasn't true at all! They all had sons and daddies too!

"Yeah but, dey're from _Iwa_." Hibiki stressed, as if somehow that explained everything.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, for a moment unsure of what to do. And then he brightened and decided to just used Daddy's method on him on Hibiki. It had to work! "Just think about it. Real hard."

Hibiki's face scrunched up in thought, and for one delightful moment Naruto thought that might have actually gotten through to him, but then the dark haired boy sighed in frustration and shook his head.

"No way! My bwrain hurts. Your game sucks Nawruto."

"But—" Naruto protested, because this _wasn't_ a game. If they were going to become ninja, it was vitally important that they understood that they couldn't just go around killing people.

"If you're going to be bowring," Hibiki interrupted tiredly, "go be bowring somewhewre else."

Naruto's jaw snapped closed.

He glumly decided that it might be better keeping his opinions to himself because he really did want to play Ninja. He'd never had the opportunity before; he'd always looked on with envy as the other children did it, and he didn't want to ruin this chance.

The thing was, the game wasn't nearly as fun as he had envisioned. They played out in the park area of the Academy where there was lots of hiding spots and places to run, but his newest friends only chose the most obvious ones. And nobody could catch him.

When the bell for recess finally rang and they were all ushered back into the classroom again, Naruto was congratulated for winning the game, but Naruto for some reason didn't feel as if he'd won.

Daddy as always, caught on. As soon as they'd been left relatively alone because the lesson was starting, Daddy spoke, "Why do you look so down, Naru-chan?"

Naruto hesitated. For the first time, he had found people who were willing to play with him and didn't judge, which was what he had wanted for his whole life. He didn't want to sound ungrateful, but—

"Being liked is lots of fun," Naruto said forlornly, "but that's it. But they're so…"

He struggled for the word. He didn't want to say stupid, because stupid was bad and he didn't want to call people bad things, but that was the first expression that had come to mind. They couldn't pay attention to details, couldn't think outside of the box for hiding spots, couldn't tell a good story, and couldn't seem to understand any of the important stuff! It really felt like his new 'friends' couldn't do anything.

There was a moment of silence, and Naruto somehow got the impression that Daddy was closing his eyes in pain.

"I'm sorry," Daddy finally said, his voice sad, "this is all my fault. I've put you through too many drills too quickly, and now you can't even connect with your peers. I—I wanted you to be the best, but I guess somewhere along that road, I've forgotten about making you happy. Do you accept my apology? It's alright if you don't."

Whatever Naruto had been expecting, it hadn't been _that_.

"What?" He exclaimed, shocked, though it still came out of him in a whisper. It was virtually engrained in him now to not talk too loudly to his Daddy. He shook his head venomously, hoping that his daddy would understand, "That's ridiculous Daddy. I'm the happiest when I'm talking to you. Besides, I like the way that I think. I wouldn't want to change that for the world. I was just surprised that everybody at the Academy doesn't think like me, I guess."

"That's not—" Daddy began, only to stop mid-sentence. When he spoke again, Naruto could practically hear the smile in his voice, "Thank you, Naru-chan."

Naruto beamed in reply.

But the issue wasn't quite resolved because it reared its head again when the teacher began speaking.

The second half of class, Naruto did pay attention. What he found however, was that it might have been better if he'd continued _not_ paying attention.

"Is it really boring for you Naru-chan?" Daddy asked when Naruto had to stop his head from falling to his desk for the fifth time out of sleepiness.

"Well the Academy is stupid for teaching such basic stuff," Naruto mumbled, because seriously, who _didn't_ already know the twenty seven nations which comprised their land? The three areas which were in constant civil war and may or may not be nations didn't count. That really depended on what year you were looking at.

"I—wow, again, I'm sorry. I guess I got really bored and taught you a bunch of stuff I should have left to the Academy," Daddy apologized again, sounding guilty which was wrong because he'd done nothing to be ashamed of and Naruto didn't want his daddy to be _guilty_, "Should I finish up our lesson on the skirmishes in the grasslands previous to the Second Great Shinobi War?"

Naruto perked up immediately. _"Yes."_

And Daddy began talking. He explained the underlying reason for why the skirmishes of the grasslands started and the repercussions of the outcome which eventually lead to the Second Great Shinobi War

"Uzumaki-san!" The teacher suddenly barked, breaking Naruto's intense concentration on his father's lecture and bringing it back into the physical realm.

Naruto gave no outward appearance that something had changed. It was something he'd mastered since… well, forever, really. Daddy had always been a sticker for not letting others know that Naruto was conversing with him, and it was second nature not to react to changing between talking to Daddy and talking with others. "Yes?"

Their teacher crossed his arms, an impatient expression on his face, "Well?"

"I think he might have asked a question," Daddy said gently.

Naruto's mouth made an 'o' of understanding and he nodded.

"Could you please repeat that?" Naruto asked the teacher politely.

The teacher's eyes only narrowed.

"Since you are _obviously_ not paying attention," the man at the front said derisively, "why don't you go and burn off some excess energy outside? Reflect on what you did wrong."

"Ha?" Naruto was confused. It sounded like the teacher was giving him an extra recess, but that didn't match with his angry face.

"It means go stand in the hallway!"

Oooh! That made more sense.

And when Naruto made that realization, his face fell. He didn't want to get in trouble the first day of school!

"But," Naruto protested, "I didn't do anything wrong! The only reason I wasn't paying attention was because what you were teaching was really really boring—" here he got a lot of snickers from around the classroom, and Naruto couldn't help but reply to them with a grin "—but I think I can answer your question."

But that comment only made the teacher angrier, "Get out. Get out!"

Naruto hurried out.

"I don't get it," Naruto said sadly once he was outside and the door had long closed behind him. He gazed into the window pane, seeing the teacher lecture the rows upon rows of children. Despite not having found the lessons very interesting, it had been nice to be in there. He'd felt included. "I didn't do anything bad, did I?"

"Not paying attention is usually considered bad," Daddy said with a sigh. "It's because Naru-chan, with most children, it means that you don't respect the teacher's opinions, and that's enough to make anyone mad."

"That's not true! It was just really boring!"

"I know that, and you know that, but he doesn't know that."

"I tried to tell him," Naruto mumbled, refusing to be consoled.

"Yes and, unfortunately, adults don't like to listen to children. Hmm… think about it this way—if a three year old were to come up to you right now and tell you his opinions on the Second Great Shinobi War, and demand that they were the right ones, would you be pleased?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose. He'd bumped into three year olds before in the orphanage, and all they knew how to do was to fall down. "No way! They'd probably think that a magical rabbit started it or something."

Silently he apologized to Usa-chan. He loved the rabbits, but the fact of the matter was, they weren't a factor when it came to war.

"Exactly. See Naruto? You think that people younger than you are pretty silly, and Akemi-sensei thinks the same. Except of course, in this instance, you are the one younger than him."

"But I'm not silly!" Naruto protested, only to hesitate at the end, "…am I?"

"No Naru-chan, you are not," Daddy replied gently. "You are pretty special. But do you understand where Akemi-sensei is coming from?"

Naruto let out a sigh. Sometimes he hated it when Daddy did that. If Naruto ever got angry at somebody, like a villager who'd 'accidently' trip him or someone who said some especially mean words to him, Daddy would always tell Naruto a piece of a story about their lives. It was always very understandable, and always showed that nobody really meant to be mean. How could Naruto stay mad after that?

"I get it, I get it," Naruto mumbled, and then paused in thought for a moment, "but do you think I could show him that I understand everything?"

"Yes, definitely." There was a hint of laughter in Daddy's voice, but there wasn't a single moment where Naruto thought it might have been at his expense. Daddy was always considerate of Naruto. "But you'll probably have to wait until class ends. I don't think that Akemi-sensei would like another interruption."

"Alright then," Naruto agreed, and, that piece of difficulty solved, decided to turn his attention elsewhere. He didn't like to dwell on problems once he already had the solution, and that meant finding something fulfilling to do until class ended!

Naruto plodded back to the play area he and the others had been at during their recess, deciding that now that he was done reflecting, he could take his break. After all, just waiting around was no fun.

But he saw that the area was already taken over.

They were a group of older kids, eleven or twelve if Naruto had to guess. The sheer amount of them however told Naruto that it wasn't just a random group of kids. It had to be a class.

Naruto scrunched up his nose, thinking hard about why there would be a class out here when it wasn't recess time. And then, he realized what had been missing from his own break. There hadn't been any kids of other ages during the recess for the first years!

The Academy system had to have every class has a different recess times, probably so all the classes can have the whole yard to themselves or something.

Naruto shook his head. Well it didn't matter! The playground was still the playground. There was also the little spring of hope inside him that the Academy students wouldn't automatically shy away from him, and he'd be able to make some more friends on this spontaneous trip.

The little blond skipped over to the gaggle of people, fully intent to make the most of his ban from his classroom.

It didn't take long for someone to notice him. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of notice that Naruto wished for.

"Hey!" One of the boys, a brown haired one with a mean look on his face, called out with a sneer, "Who brought their little brat here?"

Everyone looked up briefly to see what had changed, but seeing nothing interesting, most of them turned their attention back to themselves.

Naruto wrinkled his nose, about to reply that he wasn't a little brat when somebody else did it for him.

"Cut it out Daiki," a rough but distinctly female voice shouted out. A moment later a girl with cropped black hair walked up to them, her forehead ceased in a displeased expression, "Don't call the kid a brat, 'cause you aren't one, are ya?"

The last bit she said to Naruto, giving him a wink which he replied with a beaming smile.

At that gesture, the two froze.

"Whatever," the boy proclaimed as 'Daiki' snorted. He waved a dismissive hand, already moving away, "Have fun matching wits with a six year old."

But Naruto was hardly paying any attention to him. He was swiftly trying to place where he'd seen the girl before, and why she appeared so familiar. It wasn't just a random encounter on the streets, otherwise he wouldn't have remembered her this well. But who was she…?

And then the images of trees and campfires came to his mind, the phantom scents of honeysuckle and pine.

"It's you!" They both cried at the same time.

It was one of the Academy students he'd met in the forest two years ago. She was one of the ones who'd helped him realize that the world wasn't so bad after all.

But he also knew why he hadn't recognized her immediately. When he'd pictured the Academy trio, it was always the _trio_. Naruto couldn't help but become a little flustered at the thought that he'd never imagined the three to have individual lives, because it was silly and of course they had to do some things by themselves.

Nevertheless. "Where's um—"

"Shirou and Yuuta?" Kaoru guessed shrewdly, dropping the finger that'd been automatically raised to point at him at their declaration. "Kaoru, by the way."

The blond blushed, realizing that she'd probably guessed that he didn't really remember their names. It was only fair though, because she hadn't remembered his. He nodded sheepishly, "Naruto."

She narrowed her eyes, and for a moment he wondered in panic if he'd said anything wrong, but he'd only uttered his name—and then she snapped her fingers, "Naru-chan!"

He went a predictable shade of pink, "I'm not _that_ little anymore."

Kaoru let out a boisterous laugh, leaning down to ruffle his hair. It stuck up endearingly. The dark haired girl gave him a wink that would have put Shirou to shame, "You'll always be Naru-chan to girls, don't you know that?"

Naruto deflated, thinking of Sakura.

Kaoru blinked, "Oh hey hey, I might not be Rookie of the Year, but heck, I've brought up next to omnipotent!Yuuta and volatile!Shirou. What's up kid?"

"It's Sakura-chan," Naruto said sadly, "she doesn't remember me."

He'd kind of ignored the issue after Kiba and the others had invited him to lunch, because it was such a novelty and a wonder being liked that it'd momentarily pushed away the bad stuff. But now, meeting up with Kaoru again who he'd only met once in the past but still remembered him, Sakura forgetting him just seemed that much worse.

"Girls?" Kaoru asked with a slightly panicked look on her face, "Oh wow, I'm no good at this type of stuff. Do you want to talk to Shirou about it?"

"Are Shirou and Yuuta here?" Naruto asked, eyes brightening. He had only vague memories about the three of them, but he felt really comfortable with them.

Kaoru snorted, beckoning Naruto as she began moving away from the crowds, "Of course they are. Shirou's parents would kill him if he missed school, and Yuuta just wouldn't do it. Anyway it's our recess, so we're all out right now. But hey now that I think about it—Naru-chan, aren't you supposed to be in class or something?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly, "Well…"

"Trouble on the first day of school?" Kaoru asked, looking back once again. When she saw Naruto's expression, she laughed, "Naru-chan, you're something else. I knew there was a reason we were friends with you."

It was at that moment that Naruto spotted Kaoru's two teammates. They were sitting on one of those spinney rides on the playground, though they weren't spinning. Instead, they had their heads tilted in what appeared to be a rather intense conversation.

"Oi! Shirou! Yuuta! Look who I've brought back!"

The two looked up from their discussion. Yuuta blinked, and pushed his glasses up.

"Well well, if it isn't our genius savior from the forest," Shirou grinned.

Naruto beamed.

Maybe the Academy wasn't such a waste, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Telling<strong>

…**and eleven months (Hokage's Office)**

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Could you repeat—" the Hokage began, only to stop halfway through the sentence and close his eyes briefly as if in great pain. He heaved out a sigh, his whole body moving with the gesture, and put a hand to his forehead, "Are you absolutely serious, Naruto? This is not a… prank or anything, is it?"

"I've already given you the secret passcode," Naruto reminded firmly, ad-libbing for his father as he'd been told. And then his eyes lit up, and his voice took on a much more cheerful tone, "And wow! That was so cool! I never knew that there was a phrase like that which identified Hokages. 'The wind blows and may uproot the flowers but—'"

"Naruto," the Sandaime said sharply, "that's enough."

Naruto's smile dropped from his face, and Minato bristled.

"Do not take this out on my son," Minato said coolly, only for his anger to abate as the sentiment passed through Naruto's lips. It sounded absolutely ridiculous.

The Sandaime let out a sigh, allowing his hand to drop from his face as he gave Naruto an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to be short with you. But you have to understand that the phrase you just uttered is not something meant for public ears, and you must never repeat it again, ever."

Naruto took a breath, and nodded eagerly. He beamed, saluting the Hokage, "I won't let you down sir Sarutobi sir!"

Minato smiled. His son had been absolutely perfect in regaling everything Minato said over to the Sandaime, not missing a single pronunciation.

He felt a little guilty. Once again he was pushing Naruto to be ahead of his peers, but sometimes the suggestions just escaped him before he could really think about the consequences.

It was hard to get Naruto to do some things, and before Minato knew it, he was always teaching Naruto more advanced techniques so that the child wouldn't have such an unhappy look on his face while he was doing his chores.

School had become boring for Naruto as it'd been for Minato all those years ago, and Minato couldn't help but wonder if he were the one to cause it. Would Naruto still have been so unable to connect with his peers if it weren't for Minato's upbringing?

Even the clan children, who should have been by all rights trained as equally as Naruto was, were not as fun for his child to hang around as his older friends.

There were about seven clan kids that he could distinguish in Naruto's class, and even two clan heirs. Minato had remembered visiting the Hyuuga compound and seeing Hiashi's heavily pregnant wife, and had even attended the birth of the Uchiha patriarch's second child, Uchiha Sasuke. While Uchiha Sasuke was not a direct clan heir, being the son of Fugaku, there was also no way that he would have grown up normally.

The rest of course, were civilian children. There was nothing wrong with civilian children of course. Minato had been one himself. And of course there was the fact that the Third Great Shinobi War accepted far more of them than was perhaps wise. But their potential was hard to judge.

Certainly, he'd never expected to make it to Hokage. And then Kushina had happened.

His train of thought was thankfully broken as the current Hokage of Konoha let out a chuckle, and settled back in his seat.

Eyes hooding, the Sandaime steeped his fingers together, looking deep in thought. "I must admit… I did not expect that of all things when you—or should I say you guys?—came bursting into my office today. Give me a moment to absorb this. You, Minato, are saying that you did not die that day of the Sealing and instead have been with your son in a spiritual form all these years? Added to that, the release of the Kyuubi was not an accident but an intentional act caused by none other than one of Konoha's founding fathers, Uchiha Madara."

"Unfortunately, yes," Minato said sadly, which Naruto promptly passed on.

The Sandaime nodded in reply, turning away to face the window that overlooked the village proper. The room fell into a deep silence as the acting Hokage no doubt did exactly as he had promised—think about what had just been told to him.

Naruto stayed deathly still, as if sensing what the Sandaime needed, but that didn't prevent the look of intense curiosity from taking over his face.

Finally the Sandaime let out a sigh, breaking the stillness that had settled like a mossy furnishing. A wry smile quirking across the edge of his lips, the wrinkled old man turned back to face them, a knowing look in his all too wise eyes, "You're not planning to integrate yourself back into Konoha, are you?"

Minato felt his breath catch.

The Sandaime's lips twitched when he saw that no immediate answer was forthcoming, as if he had guessed Minato's stupor. "You would have told me about all this earlier if you wished to still help with our politics."

Minato closed his eyes. How did the Sandaime always have the single ability to make him feel like the wide-eyed six year old at the Academy Entrance Ceremonies all over again?

Yes, it was all true. He had wanted to have some more time with Naruto without having to worry about the village. To be completely honest, Minato had actually wanted to keep his involvement a secret for just a while longer, but Naruto was nearing six years old and he was quickly losing excuses to evade his duty.

"There was also that Naruto wasn't at the level where he could convey everything I wanted without error," Minato replied with a smile.

The Sandaime's eyes twinkled, "A lovely excuse, I'm sure."

"It'll get you out of paperwork, I tell you," Minato laughed in reply. It was good speaking to someone again after all these years. He loved his son, he really did, but when half the time was baby babble, it did get wearing. Still, as fun as all this bantering was, there was one other item on Minato's agenda today. "Sarutobi-san… what's going on with the Uchiha situation?"

"Ah, so you've noticed that too?"

The previous jubilation that the Sandaime displayed seemed to all evaporate at those words. Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to shrink at the mention of Konoha's largest clan, weariness permeating every pore of his being.

Minato felt a flash of momentary guilt at the sight. The Sandaime had always been someone he'd looked up to, if not felt intimidated by. But seeing him like this, old and world weary, made Minato realize that even the pillars could fall. The Sandaime had already chosen his successor, and he was not meant to become acting Hokage again.

The blond haired man felt as if he had run away from his duty. But then he quickly shook the thought away, assuring himself that there was nothing else he could have done to seal the Kyuubi other than give away his life.

"It was hard not to notice," Minato said after taking a breath, "what are you planning to do about it?"

"Who knows? I'm sure you've thought of this too, but who would believe me if I stated that it was Madara who attacked on that fateful night? They would think that I was nearing the end of my wits and using a fantasy idea to stall the tensions at best. But I admit that a part of me did wonder if it wasn't an Uchiha, and now that that part's been set to rest, maybe I can put my full force into working out a peaceable solution."

"I wish there were a way to prove that he was there," Minato sighed. "But I'm pretty sure I was the only one he revealed himself to."

"We have no idea what Madara's objectives are, and until he makes a move, we have no way to convince anybody that he's a real threat. I will call in Jiraiya, your sensei, to do some more investigating on it."

Minato brightened at the thought of Jiraiya.

"If there's anyone who could find someone who's escaped detection for over a century," Minato said fondly, "it's Sensei."

The Sandaime only chuckled in reply.

"Speaking of Sensei…" Minato trailed off, because this was as good a segmentation as he was going to get for his next topic.

He still kept up with his seals work after all these years. He'd even twiddled with the idea of changing the Dead Demon Seal, although he knew that he would never actually go through with it. And then there was the fact that sometimes, Naruto would try to read really complex books and puzzles, all for Minato, so that Minato too could challenge his mind. He had been touched beyond belief the first time that his son had done that.

Little Naru-chan was growing up, and Minato didn't know how to feel about that. Already his Naruto was needing less and less of Minato's attention, finding a lot of time for himself instead.

Already he was making a name for himself at the Academy.

The teachers may have disliked Naruto, may have conveniently found something extremely urgent that they had to do whenever it was their time to help him through his forms, but they were all shinobi, and they did mark fairly.

Naruto was light years ahead of all his classmates, so it only made sense that he tested first in nearly everything.

That had its positive and negative effects.

Naruto had quickly risen to popularity due to his superb skills, and by the time that the parents of the students found out who exactly it was that their children was enamored with, it was already too late. By that time it wasn't 'cool' to whisper bad things about Naruto, so the children quickly shut up and didn't let their parents' warnings faze them.

On the other hand, there were those select few who didn't care much for the hive mindedness of elementary school children, and those had especially come to light after Naruto's successes.

The adults for instance were both suspicious and wary, and the teachers especially did not like how Naruto failed to pay attention in any of their classes and yet still managed a 100% on all of their tests. There were some who even whispered about the Kyuubi's influence, but that idea was so farfetched that thankfully nobody of great importance had taken it seriously.

Minato could have easily asked Naruto to hide his abilities for concern over the civilians fearing Naruto's rise, but a Jinchuuriki was not all that Naruto was, and Minato was hardly going to let the burden he put within his son to dictate his life.

Naruto should have every good thing, and if a few toes had to be stepped on for that to happen, so be it. As long as no feet were broken, Minato saw no reason that they could not continue the way that they were.

But it also meant that Minato couldn't hang around his son all the time. Or rather, that he shouldn't. It wasn't quite time to leave Naruto altogether, but the intelligent young boy could definitely afford to have some privacy.

For some reason, this thought made Minato feel sad.

"He says," Naruto coughed, and then lowered his voice adorably, "Now that I think of it Sarutobi-san, you could help me with Naruto's seal. I hadn't originally planned to seal myself in, so that part is a tad sloppy and I'd like to fix it if possible. I was worried about tempering with it from the inside, but now that you know I'm here, I can make the adjustments needed and you could implant them, if that is not too much work for you."

The Sandaime's eyes hooded thoughtfully, and finally he gave a nod, "I'll see what I can do."

"Bow Naru-chan," Minato whispered to his son, "and please tell Sarutobi-san 'thank you' on our way out."

Surprisingly, Naruto didn't take any actions except for the ones that Minato had instructed him to take. Minato had thought for sure that his son would burst into requests for him to teach Naruto a new skill or play a game with him as a reward. After all, that was what he had asked for before they'd agreed to this whole thing, and although Naruto had done very well during the relaying, Minato knew that it wasn't in his son's nature to stay quiet for long.

But Naruto was silent on the way home.

"What's the matter, Naru-chan?" Minato asked after five blocks, concerned, "I didn't make you speak too much, did I? Your throat isn't sore?"

Naruto hesitated. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Finally, he shook his head, and when he spoke again, his voice was so nothing but a whisper among the winds, "I just… I love you, Daddy."

* * *

><p>An: o.o I have to admit I did not expect the reception that I got to the last chapter. It's probably made me write this one a lot faster. Careful guys, if you review too much, this might turn from being a side project to a main one.

There have been a few questions about Naruto and Rookie 9, so I'll answer them here. Sadly this particular fic will not feature them all too much, because as Naruto has miserably pointed out, he has risen above them. Shikamaru might be the sole exception to this, but I don't think I'll bring him in because he (along with the rest of the genin we all know and love) might be a big part of a… sequel, potentially, where there is actually a plot. I plan much further than I usually write, so I might actually never get there, but if I do, I don't want to mess it up, lol.

p.s. If anyone's caught the fact that Naruto's speech ability drops significantly when talking with Kiba and the others vs talking with Minato, it's on purpose. Fact: children converse at a lower level with their peers than with adults.

p.p.s. Would you actually like for me to reply to reviews? Most of them I find aren't looking for an answer so I don't respond (because I am a very lazy soul), but I know that I like replies to the reviews I give, so… do the majority of you want a response? It's all or nothing, 'cause I won't go through them picking which ones to reply to although I do read them all very carefully—so vote.


	6. Six Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Six Years Old<strong>

"_What do you mean you don't know what that is? You always know what everything is!" ~ Sasgawa Akane, Team Jiraiya_

* * *

><p><strong>ANBU<strong>

…**and two months (Kitchen)**

"Hey," Kakashi said with a smile as he popped out of seemingly nowhere. "How would you like to come eat lunch with me, Naruto?"

Naruto, who had been sitting at his desk facing the opposite way, immediately jumped up and tackled the teen with a hug, "Kakashi-niisan!"

They were currently in the apartment that the Sandaime had bought for them. Naruto had just completed all his homework, and from the look on his face, he couldn't think of a better finish.

Minato bemusedly wondered if Naruto knew that Kakashi had come in ten minutes earlier and had simply been waiting for the little blond boy to be done. His former student was huge on academics after all, and even if the homework was mind numbingly boring, they still needed to be completed.

Naruto hadn't wanted to do it at all, but Minato had managed to make a deal with his son that if Naruto completed all his assignments, then Minato would teach him something good. Naruto usually managed to do an hour's worth in a quarter of the time, and it only really took that long because they asked a lot of factual trivia that Naruto always had trouble remembering.

Kakashi laughed at the reply, giving Naruto's hair a quick ruffle, "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

"Yes yes yes! What are we going to eat? Can we have ramen?"

"Hm, if you really want to. Yes, alright."

Delighted, Naruto spun around the room in a whirlwind, quickly picking out his clothing and other necessary supplies needed for a day out. It hadn't taken a minute before he was grabbing onto Kakashi's hand and dragging the silver haired teen out of the apartment.

Naruto jabbered on about his day, and Kakashi listened with an attentive ear, interjecting with his own comments every once in a while.

Minato on the other hand, was surprised.

It was not exactly a surprise for Kakashi to agree to take Naruto to ramen. After all, the silver haired shinobi had never really cared for food and ramen was as good as any other meal. No, the shocking bit was _how_ Kakashi had agreed.

The first few times Kakashi had given the okay for ramen, there had been a strained tension behind his eyes that Minato knew all too well the origins of. After all, Naruto's mother had been equally as enthusiastic for the food as her son was now, and she'd often made it a point to take Minato's team out on her treat.

Seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes during those times, Minato had little doubt it was all the boy thought of the first days Naruto had forced him to Ichiraku's. Minato might have stopped his son if not for the fact that he knew Kakashi could have found a way to weasel himself out of it if he truly could not withstand it.

As it was, Kakashi had managed to get over it somehow. It wasn't a sudden change, but Minato did notice that as the days went by, Kakashi seemed to see the ramen dates between him and Naruto as something calming rather than discomforting. He was slowly learning to be at peace with the past. Minato had no idea if his former student was aware of such a thing, but it was what his body language was showing.

Naruto was slowly pushing Kakashi along the road of recovery.

Although, helping Kakashi out was never supposed to be Naruto's responsibility.

It felt, once again, like Minato was pushing his own duties onto his son, and that thought made his stomach churn.

He couldn't help but flash back to the night where the Kyuubi had escaped and rampaged across Konoha, and Madara had deigned to reveal himself. Those were two more problems that Minato had left for Naruto, and as much as he hated to think it, they were far harder to deal with than Kakashi's situation.

It was a father's duty to protect their son, and yet it seemed at every turn, Minato was only adding more danger for Naruto.

Quickly Minato shook his head to rid himself of the rather depressing thoughts. He had no idea how they had devolved so quickly. It had turned from being about Kakashi to be being about himself. Bemusedly he wondered what that said about his state of mind.

Slowly Kakashi's reactions began changing. Instead of showing mild signs of unease at the invitations, he'd begun to tease Naruto about it. It was a little strange to see his most stoic student so playful, but Minato was not complaining.

It did however, beg the question of why Kakashi was so easy in agreeing to Naruto's request this time.

"…and Akari-sensei told him that she wouldn't stand for it just because she was littler than her, and she grabbed him by the ear just like _that_ and dragged him to the front of the classroom and he had to apologize and boy you should have seen how red he was because he was like a tomato!" Naruto took a deep breath at the end and swiveled towards the ramen stand that they had just arrived at. He beamed, "We're here!"

"Oh thank Shodaime," Kakashi murmured under his breath, obviously as worn by Naruto's run-on sentences as Minato was at times. Whenever Naruto got too excited, he had a bad habit of forgetting to pause. Minato always found it too adorable to correct his son, and he had a secret suspicion that Kakashi found the same. Still, it didn't make understanding it any easier.

Minato held back a chuckle.

Naruto quickly got into the business of ordering his favorite ramen packages after throwing a loud and affectionate greeting at the owner of the ramen shop. Although Teuchi couldn't hear it, Minato also gave him a grateful greeting, because he honestly was thankful for the sole proprietor of the civilian population who seemed to accept Naruto as he was.

Minato had no idea why it was, but he thought that maybe Kushina had been right about ramen making people happy and that was why Teuchi-san was the only person with enough good will to not act as though Naruto were a disease.

"I'll also have a miso," Kakashi said to the kindly owner after shooting a smile in Naruto's direction. "Ah, I'd like eggplant added if that would be at all possible. Yes, just like the one time you decided to experiment. It was quite good."

And then, Kakashi did the craziest thing. He laughed.

It wasn't quite loud, booming laughter yet. It was a subdued, helpless kind of laugh. It was more of a chuckle really. But still, there was no trace of bitterness, no underlying ruefulness. It was a genuine sound.

Minato couldn't help it. His eyes widened.

And then, they softened.

He could never be sure if he'd done right with his student.

To be sure, he had tried his best, but in all honesty he didn't know if he'd done all he could to guide Kakashi. It'd been so hard, back then. Kakashi and Obito were a difficult match up and the fireworks that flew every time the two had met had given Minato headaches.

If he were completely honest, he'd admit that he'd left Rin to deal with it not only to build team spirit, but also because sometimes he wasn't sure if he could after a long, tiresome mission.

He'd like to think that he'd done as well as a sensei could have done with Obito and Rin. He was patient even when he didn't feel like it, and that became increasingly difficult as Obito failed to grasp even the simplest of concepts. He was understanding and allowed his children to make their own decisions, even when Rin declared that she was no longer a part of the Inuzuka Clan and asked Minato not to ask her about it.

But it'd been different with Kakashi. He hadn't just been another student with his own support system. He lacked that entirely. Minato had let him go mostly his own way at the time, lending a guiding hand where needed, but now looking at the silver haired boy, he wondered if it was enough.

Perhaps if he'd pushed the boy harder, then Kakashi wouldn't be the impenetrable shell that he was now.

Except…

Except, he was not exactly impenetrable now, was he? Cracks had started showing along Kakashi's well crafted armor against emotion, and he was finally beginning to show his smiles again. They were small yet, but that was something Minato was sure would change with time.

It wasn't however, due to anything Minato had done.

No, if Kakashi made any progress, it was all because of Naruto.

Minato was beyond proud of his little boy. There were not many who managed to put up with somebody who failed to show their true emotions ninety-five percent of the time, yet Naruto managed to not only do that, but lower that percentage as well. He was bubbly and patient, compassionate and indescribably cute, and it seemed that even Minato's most stoic student could not resist that.

Minato had not heard Kakashi laugh for a long long time, but it seemed as if that would all change soon.

"Kakashi-niisan seems really happy today," Naruto whispered when it looked like Kakashi wasn't listening. They both knew that you could never tell with Kakashi however, so they made sure to keep Naruto's comments ones that could be said to oneself as well.

"Yes," Minato whispered back, keeping with the atmosphere although in reality, he could be as loud as he wanted and Kakashi would not hear. "I wonder…"

He was beyond happy, but he had to admit that it was strange. Minato was not able to see his student much nowadays, but he still thought he would have known sooner if anything that could cause his former student so much happiness had come into his life.

Suddenly, Minato's eyes widened.

No, surely not…?

He felt his heart leap for joy.

"Naru-chan," Minato said quickly, his words coming out in a rush in his urgency to _know_. "Ask Kakashi if he's quit ANBU."

Naruto, the dear child, did as Minato asked, with no questions of his own.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose at the question.

"Yes, although how you know that confounds me." Kakashi smiled and reached out a hand and ruffled Naruto's hair, "I really should stop underestimating you, shouldn't I?"

"Nope!" Naruto chirped, "I am going to be Hokage one day after all, and that means I'll know everything about everything!"

Minato rolled his eyes good naturedly. Naruto had gotten the strangest idea in his head that Minato knew all the important things even though he had repeatedly assured his son that he didn't, and Naruto was determined to one day be the same.

"Hm, do you think so? Well then perhaps you can tell me something that even Maito Gai would find embarrassing, and I can finally get him to stop challenging me to those ridiculous duels."

"Maito… Gai? Eh, who's that?"

Kakashi's eye only twinkled in response, "Looks like you still have some ways to go before knowing everything about everything."

Naruto looked affronted, "Well I can't know things unless I have informants! So, so, tell!"

And they lapsed into a rather amusing conversation about Kakashi's self declared rival. Naruto bugged Kakashi to allow him in on one of their duels one day, and while Kakashi held out for a good little while, his mood eventually caused him to relent. A date was set for Naruto to see exactly who Maito Gai was, and the topic shifted elsewhere.

All the while, Minato couldn't stop beaming.

He felt so unbelievably proud of his former student for making that choice of taking himself out of ANBU. It meant that Kakashi was finally starting to see out of that dark tunnel which consisted of only death and pain, and while Minato was sure that Kakashi was still far from being healed completely, he also was sure that it meant that eventually, the silver haired teen would be.

* * *

><p><strong>Ready, Set, Go!<strong>

…**and four months (Naruto's Apartment)**

Naruto was a buzz of activity.

He moved like a miniature tornado, wiggling into his clothes as he slid around his apartment, running through his morning chores in half time.

"What is going on today?" Daddy asked, a bemused expression on his face as he followed Naruto around. Naruto replied with the biggest grin that he could muster.

Daddy had a form now. They'd gone to see Jiji again and done some funny things with the seal on his belly, and now Daddy didn't have to share Naruto's eyes and ears although he still couldn't talk to anyone other than Naruto.

It made Naruto really, really happy.

Previously he had seen pictures of his father through the images that Daddy sent him, but there was something different about seeing his Daddy in the world that Naruto existed. He just seemed awesome, and more than that, Naruto could pretend that he was really there.

Added to that, sometimes Naruto had worried that Daddy might be bored while he was visiting with his friends or reading books that Daddy obviously didn't find interesting. Now the problem was solved. Daddy was limited to a certain radius around Naruto, but it was big enough that he could go and listen in on the happenings of the Konoha markets while Naruto slept and such.

It was even easier to read for Daddy. While actual books were still a problem, unfurled scrolls were something totally attainable. Before, Naruto had to make sure to keep such texts in the corner of his eye so that Daddy could read them, but now Naruto didn't even have to be in the room.

Naruto wasn't quite sure how it all worked. Daddy said that he'd understand when he was older. The explanation on the logistics of it weren't something Naruto could comprehend with his level of sealing knowledge. In the end though, Naruto didn't care for the _whys_. He just cared that it _was_.

But that wasn't why he was so excited this morning.

The toaster dinged and Naruto hurriedly fished out the finished bread. He only paused to spread some jam over the surfaces before whirling to the table and plopping down with his dish.

"I'm going to go visit Kabuto today," Naruto said between bites. He took his glass of milk and downed the rest all in one big gulp. "I haven't seen him in forever!"

"I'd hardly call two weeks 'forever', Naru-chan," Daddy laughed, but the smile on his face told Naruto that he understood. "Hm, I think I'll sit this one out then. Your friend is quite sharp."

Naruto bobbed his head in a nod, having expected that answer. Daddy still walked him to the training grounds where Naruto knew Kabuto to be however. It was only when they were within viewing distance of Kabuto's team that Daddy leaned down to whisper a 'have fun' before disappearing.

The smaller blond had honestly never met Kabuto's team before, but Daddy had told him plenty about the shinobi formations in the first year of anyone graduating. Three genin were usually assigned together with a jounin sensei to guide them, making a total of four shinobi per rookie team.

Naruto saw Kabuto, two children about his age, and although there was no jounin sensei in sight, Naruto knew them to be Kabuto's teammates rather than other friends. They matched the brief description the silver haired boy had given Naruto when he'd asked the one time, after all.

"HI!" Naruto called, rushing over to the group of three. They were all standing in a loose triangular pattern, arms crossed and tense expressions on their faces.

All three looked over at the sudden intrusion, and Kabuto's lips twitched into a smile.

"Naruto," the silver haired boy greeted warmly.

"Kabuto," the smaller child grinned back before turning to the other two with the tiniest of bows, "Shirakawa-san, Yosano-san, pleased to meet you."

Yosano Hyosuke, a dark haired boy wearing long layers, raised a brow, "Do I know you?"

Kabuto tensed, which had Naruto tilt his head curiously. Kabuto never did talk about his teammates much.

Wondering what his best friend's team would be like, the blond boy turned back to the dark haired boy with a small smile still present on his features, "Nope. But, Kabuto's mentioned you before. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you!"

"Oh my gawd," Shirakawa Otsune said with a roll of her eyes, "Yakushi, get your fanboy out of here. We actually require the use of our training grounds today."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed at the reply, just as Kabuto's eyes narrowed.

"Please Shirakawa-kun," the silver haired boy said in a deceptively pleasant voice, "Naruto is an exceptional shinobi. And he is the one that I had plans for meeting before you sprung this last minute extra training thing on me, so as for his rights to be here, I am the one who is at fault."

Naruto blinked turned back to his friend with a frown. He felt giddy at the way that Kabuto referred to him, but he wasn't sure he liked the whole passivity thing. It was one thing to be polite, but it felt weird to see his opinionated friend so submissive.

A part of him felt uneasy about the whole setup, and he desperately wished that Daddy had stayed so that he could ask him for advice.

"Extra training?" He said instead, because he wasn't sure how to phrase the true difficulty plaguing his mind exactly. He wrinkled his nose for good measure, "_Why?_"

Naruto knew that it wasn't really fair of him to ask the question. Kabuto was shinobi, and honestly he _should_ get training whenever he could. Certainly Naruto trained a lot more than was necessary, and he hadn't even graduated yet.

Suitably distracted, Kabuto turned back to the blond with a sigh, "The chuunin exams are coming up Naruto, and our sensei has decided to enroll us in it. He said that he doesn't expect our promotion and it's more for experience than anything else, but my father told me that they can be brutal and I'd rather survive."

Shirakawa let out a loud snort.

"Oh please," she said derisively when Naruto turned to her curiously, but her eyes were solely on Kabuto. "No amount of training will help you survive this. Trash like you will get picked apart before the first whistle even blows!"

Kabuto tensed, his eyes narrowing and his hands fisting at his sides. He didn't have a chance to reply however, because Naruto did that for him.

"What is it with you guys?" The small blond asked in frustration, because enough was enough "Kabuto's an awesome shinobi!"

Shirakawa raised an eyebrow, her eyes still on Kabuto, "You need to get defended by a baby?"

Kabuto's eyes fluttered closed.

Not giving the silver haired boy a chance to reply, the female ploughed on, turning to Naruto with a sneer and unkind laughter in her eyes, "Seriously how old are you? Two?"

"I'm six," Naruto replied in an affronted voice.

"Even better," Shirakawa laughed.

"Look," Naruto asked with some irritation, "if you're so sure that Kabuto will just drag you two down, why's it so necessary for him to train with you?"

"He needs it so that he won't drag us down," Yosano cut in, apparently having had enough of standing aside and wasting his time with the conversation. "Look Naru-chan, we're doing Yakushi a favor, really. He might seem really powerful to you, but he wouldn't last five minutes in the chuunin exams without training day and night from now until they start."

"Well personally I don't care," Shirakawa said, "but sensei required us to train together, so here we are."

Naruto wasn't an angry person, really. He was much more likely to get sad than angry, but at that moment, he couldn't feel anything but anger.

Maybe it made him a bad person. Daddy proved with his own way of living that calmness was key, and that the answer to being a good example was to look at things impartially and not lash out even when you felt like it. Daddy had always taught him to react with kindness, even in the face of adversary.

But he really, really, couldn't let this go.

Kabuto seemed to sense where Naruto's thoughts were, whether from reading it off his face or otherwise, because a moment later Naruto felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, courtesy of his silver haired friend.

"Naruto," Kabuto whispered, "don't."

But Naruto was having none of it.

"I'm really kinda annoyed at you two right now," Naruto said bluntly. It was bad enough when the other kids at the Academy insulted him for no reason, but the fact that the two were looking down on _Kabuto_, his friend, somehow made it all the worse. He silently apologized to Daddy, but had to admit that he was glad that Daddy wasn't here to stop him right now. "So, let's settle this with a shinobi method. We'll have a spar."

There was a moment of stark silence.

Naruto wasn't stupid. Daddy had warned him against bragging, but Naruto knew that he was more advanced than most other children his age. He'd managed to weasel out the three basic jutsus out of Kaoru, Shirou, and Yuuta, and he'd managed to impress them by mastering them all within a week. It was honestly just the Clone jutsu which had him taking that long at all. He still couldn't manage to make less than four at a time.

He thought, maybe, that he could take them, especially with Kabuto whom he _knew_ had to be better than average. Realistically, he estimated that he had a fair chance, and even if he ended up losing, he thought that he'd have managed to show off enough of Kabuto's skills by then to earn him the respect that he deserved.

Kabuto's teammates however, didn't seem to think so, because the silence was finally broken by loud and obnoxious laughter, courtesy of Shirakawa.

"A… spar," Yosano finally replied with a shake of his head, his lips pressing into a thin line, "you must be joking."

"I'm not. It'll be Kabuto and I against you two." Naruto paused, because he knew that the two likely didn't think much of him. "Look if you're scared, then I understand and won't force the issue."

"Scared of a six year old and a spineless failure of a shinobi?" Shirakawa spluttered, calming down some to give a look of immense pity at the two, "Fine, have it your way, but don't go running to your daddies when you get your butts kicked."

"Naruto," Kabuto said in a low tone, his voice urgent, "I really don't want to do this."

"They need to show you some respect," Naruto replied in an equally low tone, but his voice was laced with exasperation. "Look, it doesn't matter if they're people you're unlikely to really interact with, but these are your teammates."

"Isn't that my prerogative then?" Kabuto sighed. "I can handle this myself, Naruto."

"You could," Naruto crossed his arms, "but you _haven't_. I can't stand here and just watch them talk to you like that."

A complicated expression crossed Kabuto's face, "You're… doing this for me?"

Naruto blinked, confused, "Well who else would I be doing it for?"

Kabuto's contemplative gaze was so intense that it almost made Naruto uncomfortable, but then the silver haired boy shook his head and let out a laugh. His whole posture relaxed, "Alright, alright, I can see when I've been defeated. But, no complaining if I suck."

"There's no way that you do, Kabuto," was Naruto's only reply before Shirakawa charged.

Naruto was ready-ish. He switched out with a quick Replacement jutsu, landing near a cluster of stones he'd observed as soon as he made it into the clearing. Swooping down to scoop up the stones, he hurled them at Shirakawa with all the practice he'd learned from handling shuriken.

Shirakawa dodged just as Yosano rushed towards him with two kunai in hand. Kabuto moved to intercept but Shirakawa blocked him with a barrage of shuriken.

"Naruto," the silver haired teen called out, flinging two sharp edged kunai towards him. They weren't moving at a speed or an angle for impalement though.

"Thanks Kabuto," the smaller blond called out as he jumped and looped his fingers around the hooks of the kunai as they tried to race past. Twirling the stout metal, Naruto landed back on the ground, this time plus two weapons.

Grinning, he readied into a fighting stance just as Yosano charged him.

Metal sparked against metal as Naruto and Yosano exchanged blows, each unwilling to let up a single bit. When Naruto caught glimpse of Kabuto and Shirakawa, they were dancing around each other in a long distance fight, rather than the direct confrontation Naruto and Yosano had chosen.

Naruto made use of his lighter frame and smaller body to dart and dance around the other boy, but Yosano was hardly ever fooled. Despite his jerky attitude, Naruto had to admit that Yosano was fair at taijutsu.

In fact, worriedly enough, Naruto was hard pressed to find an opening.

"You're not bad for a kid," Yosano commented as they finally sprang apart by mutual consent, "give it a few years and you could graduate from the Academy early."

"Really?" Naruto beamed, momentarily forgetting about the reason he was fighting in favor of basking in aftermath of a really good mini spar. He had never had one where he'd fought so equally before, and he had to admit that it made him giddy.

"Yes." Yosano raised his right, switching his grip on his kunai to that of a backhand, "so you'll understand my confusion on why you're hanging out with trash like Yakushi."

And the giddiness evaporated.

"He isn't trash," Naruto said lowly, his hands flipping through various seals at lightning speed, "and we'll prove it to you!"

Four spots around him erupted into smoke, momentarily obscuring the field, and a second later there were five Narutos standing in front of Yosano. Naruto only needed one taijutsu match to figure out that he couldn't win against Yosano directly, which meant that a change in tactics was needed.

All five figures charged Yosano, and with a snarl, Yosano fought back with equal measure. He wasn't stupid however, and it only took him a few minutes to figure out that something was wrong. None of the figures he slashed at were actually solid.

Brown eyes widened, and Yosano whirled to Shirakawa, just in time to catch a lithe blond figure jump down at her back. She didn't see him coming, too distracted by Kabuto's unrelenting attacks.

The real Naruto landed the attack on Shirakawa cleanly, causing his five clones to disperse as he did so. Shirakawa cried out in shock as she went tumbling down, caught off guard by two simultaneous assaults.

Using the moment of freedom, Kabuto quickly went through the handseals for the one jutsu that their sensei had taught him. A moment later the earth beneath Shirakawa erupted upwards, burying her whole body within and leaving only her head on the surface.

Naruto and Kabuto turned to each other with a grin.

But Yosano hadn't been wasting his time either. In the span of the moment that it'd taken for Shirakawa to be taken down, he'd gone through the steps for his jutsu too. Lightning lacing up his arm, he charged towards the smaller blond's back, of whom he thought to be the bigger threat.

Naruto didn't see him coming, but he did see the moment when his best friend's eyes suddenly widened and his expression froze in horror.

"Naruto, watch out!" Kabuto yelled, and, moving at a speed much faster than the slightly below average swiftness he'd displayed earlier, he flashed to the blond's side.

The smaller child turned just in time to see Kabuto's hands flash through unfamiliar seals at a speed just as fast as his own, and a strange blue glow encase said hands. Yosano was upon them within a second, but Kabuto was faster.

He jabbed his hands up at Yosano's arms, and with a cry of pain, Yosano dropped to the floor, the lightning dispersing. Naruto felt his eyes widen because he realized he knew exactly where Kabuto had aimed. Kabuto had perfectly hit all of Yosano's pressure points.

It was something that anyone could recognize with enough training, but to accurately do that _in battle_ had to be beyond difficult. Naruto had gotten his first taste of it today when he couldn't land a single good hit on Yosano. But Kabuto had managed to.

"How…?" Shirakawa whispered, her voice full of shock and terror

The blue chakra died down from Kabuto's hands, and he blinked at them in surprise. "Oh wow! I didn't think that it would actually work! How lucky, right Naruto?"

Naruto startled, unsure of how to respond, "Um…"

"Hehehe," Kabuto laughed nervously, crouching down and looking at Shirakawa's face with sparkling eyes, "should I free you then?"

"Don't be an ass about it and just do it," Shirakawa spat, but the look of wariness in her eyes hadn't quite died down.

"I'll use my new trick to dig you out then," Kabuto grinned, and went through another series of seals. These ones were done much, much slower though. He finished them, waited a moment, and Naruto and Shirakawa waited with him. Nothing happened however. Kabuto's face fell comically, "Eh? Why's nothing happening?"

Realization flashed across Shirakawa's eyes, and she suddenly let out a large snort. "I should have known. It was a complete fluke, wasn't it? You don't know how to make that happen again."

A complicated expression crossed Kabuto's face, but he didn't reply.

"So get me out or so help me, I'll make you pay later." Shirakawa spat out.

Subdued, Kabuto swallowed and nodded, and began to break down the earthy walls surrounding Shirakawa. Naruto could only stare in shock, stunned at the turn of events.

Somewhere along the line, Yosano managed to struggle back to a sitting position, though he was still favoring his right arm greatly. In fact, it wasn't even moving.

"My arm is busted, and I think I may have to visit the hospital to make sure there are no further complications," Yosano grimaced, before turning a glare on Kabuto. "Next time, please refrain from using experimental jutsu. I have no idea what kind of damage your fluke did."

"I understand," Kabuto murmured lowly, and didn't do much else as his teammates picked themselves up. The training was thankfully declared over, as Yosano now had to check out at the hospital and Shirakawa wished to wash herself from the dirt Kabuto had buried herself in.

Naruto waited until they were out of hearing range completely before speaking.

"You lied," Naruto said bluntly. "That wasn't a fluke. You've mastered the chakra blades completely."

Kabuto let out a sigh at the response, but the faint smile on his lips told Naruto that he wasn't wrong to bring it up, "I should have known that you'd notice. Yes you are correct, that wasn't a mistake like I led my teammates to believe."

"Why?" Naruto asked. He wasn't asking for why Kabuto was able to do it, because it was Kabuto after all. No, he was asking why Kabuto didn't seem to want to let anyone else know.

Kabuto as always, understood exactly what his real question was.

Kabuto shrugged, his gaze distant, "You saw how they were." Shaking his head, he turned back to face the blond, a mischievous sparkle in his dark brown eyes, "It's better to have an ace up your sleeve, ne Naruto?"

Naruto was silent for a long moment. He remembered Yosano's moment of respect, and Shirakawa's look of shocked fear when Kabuto had taken down their mutual teammate in less than a second.

Now that all the adrenaline was dying down, and now that he could quietly access the reactions of Kabuto's teammates, he found something that he hadn't when he'd first met them.

"They were utter jerks," Naruto finally agreed, and then he took a breath and matched Kabuto's gaze with his own steely blue. "But, they're also your teammates."

Kabuto's eyes widened.

"It's not wrong to have an ace up your sleeve," Naruto continued softly, "but that's for enemies, isn't it? Even though your teammates aren't the most pleasant of people, they're still your fellow Konoha shinobi. How will they know how to help you if they don't know your true skill level?"

Kabuto replied with a brittle smile, "What an interesting point, Naru-chan. You never cease to amaze. But need I remind you that you were the one who wanted me to fight with them in the first place? Hardly something that teammates would do."

Naruto nodded, glancing away, "I know I… I think I may have been wrong about that. I can't say I really regret it, because you _deserve_ to be defended, but fighting probably wasn't the best solution. But I think—I think it was fighting with you that made me realize. I teamed up with you under the wrong assumptions, and because of that, you had to take the heat from me. If I knew about what you could do, we could have done things differently."

"It wasn't my intention to hide my abilities from you," Kabuto said softly. "I would have told you later, if they had not been revealed in the way that they had. I simply did not wish for my teammates to know."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, suddenly shy. Still, he couldn't on good conscience, let it stand by itself. "But we're _Konoha's_ shinobi. I—I'm really really touched but, it's not really about who you _know_ you can trust is it? It's about who you _have to_ trust. Otherwise, how could you ever complete a mission? Most of them aren't going to be your friends beforehand."

Kabuto went silent. Naruto fidgeted nervously. He wasn't even sure if Kabuto really understood what he was trying to say. Naruto hadn't made it very clear, had he? But he couldn't think of another way to express himself.

"Anyway," Naruto finally said after sucking in a breath. He couldn't take the stillness any longer, "You're not me. If you don't want—I mean, I'm not sure about everything that's going on with you. But, consider it?"

Kabuto let out a breathy laugh, but the thoughtful expression on his face told Naruto that he was taking this seriously, "Alright, I'll consider it."

"Great!" Naruto said in relief, glad that the moment of supreme seriousness was over. He grinned, "Time to play now?"

Kabuto's semi-laughter turned into a full blown one, "Yes, time to play now."

* * *

><p><strong>Merchant from Venice<strong>

…**and seven months (Konoha Markets)**

"…and so we hoisted the sails and prayed to the sea gods, allowing our captain to guide us through. We could see nothing, and we had no idea where we were, but from the way the waves moved we could tell that there were rocky patches about. One wrong move and we would be dashed upon the bane of sailors, doomed to haunt the seas forever."

Collectively, the bundle of children listening to the tale drew in a breath, captivated by the sailor's tale. They watched him with wide eyes as if they were the ones on the ship, awaiting their fates at sea.

"Did you guys get out?" One of the children breathed, whispering as if talking too loudly would break the spell.

His counterpart however, seemed to have no such inhibitions. He let out a snort, "Of course they made it out Hibiki. Otherwise how would he be here right now, telling us about it?"

Tittering laughter broke out among the group, breaking the tension that had fallen across them.

At the front, separated from the babble of children, the sailor telling the tale smiled. He let out a laugh, bobbing his head in agreement, "Very stoutly observed. Indeed we made it out. By the grace of Ryujin, we were just barely able to get out alive. But let me tell you, you should have seen the reactions of the villagers when we arrived at their ports, missing everything including most of the clothes on our backs!"

"Oh oh, do tell!"

"Yeah yeah, we want to hear!"

Minato couldn't help but smile as the children went for another round of storytelling, Naruto included amongst them.

"This is so cool," Naruto sighed to himself, squeezing the edge of his shirt happily. He shifted about his spot on the floor, looking beyond psyched. "This is great!"

Minato laughed.

One of the Academy students had burst in with news that there were foreign merchants in town for the day, and immediately after school the entirety of Naruto's class and then some had piled into the marketplace.

It was mostly the younger children, with the older ones having experienced enough of it to satisfy their interests. There were of course those adventure seeking few who were dispersed throughout the younger crowd, but they were far fewer in number.

Minato remembered well his first years in the Academy when the foreign merchants had come. He hadn't known what the fuss was about then, but it was quickly explained to him.

The merchants had been kind and even looked amused by the sudden blockage of Konoha's square, and some had agreed to settle down to give the children stories pertaining to the foreign lands.

While foreigners wafted in and out of Konoha many times a year, it was only once that they came in such large groups that there would even be fanfare. While it was not exactly a holiday, because the dates of arrival were always different, it was expected that Konoha would be shut down for a while.

"Hmm, but the sailors aren't the only ones to see strange adventure," one of the darker skinned people in a large floppy hat added with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, "you should see what our caravan has encountered over the years."

"Oh oh!" One of the boys listening exclaimed with bubbling excitement in his voice, "Can you please tell us?!"

"Ah, showing off again are we Inui-san?" The sailor laughed, to which the merchant only replied with a laugh.

"You know it," the floppy hat man teased in response, before turning back to the boy who had asked for another story. "And certainly, if you're prepared for a tale of suspense and risk, unbelievable sights and reward, then I will regale you with one of the many adventures that my caravan has come across…"

He told a story of a land of mountains and rolling hills, where trees were scarce and vegetation was hard to find. From the description itself, Minato easily recognized it was Iwa, and from the way that Naruto shifted, it seemed that his son did too.

But it didn't stop Naruto from being as wide eyed as the other children who didn't seem to be able to comprehend that there was a land that was so different from Konoha.

It was one thing to have learned about the country's landscape and quite another to hear about how the merchants dealt with it. How they had escaped wild beasts and used the land to their advantage, and how they had been forced to abandon a large part of their cargo because of it. How they'd come back for it, only to find that it'd been taken by bandits, and how they'd tricked the bandits into giving it back to them so that they could deliver it to the people that they had promised.

Minato knew that a lot of it was embellished, and probably had never even happened, but it didn't stop him from enjoying the tale. He remembered that a large part of his childhood had been waiting around for stories like this, because what kid did not like to hear about the lands far beyond?

But sadly, all things came to an end, and soon it was time for the children to go home, which meant that the story telling was over.

But Naruto wasn't letting it go that easily.

"Can I go talk to them?" Naruto asked, "Can I can I?"

"I don't see why not," Minato replied kindly, "I think mostly everyone is skipping out on their schoolwork today. As long as you complete it when we get back, I'm fine with you not doing it right away."

Naruto needed no further encouragement.

Filled to the brim with excitement, the small blond child skipped happily over to the foreigners, asking for more detail and impressing them with his own knowledge.

Naruto chattered on with the foreign merchants for a good little while. It was not that Minato couldn't see the appeal. Not only did they have amazing stories to tell, but they knew nothing of Naruto's burden, and that allowed Naruto to express himself without prejudice to strangers for the first time in a long time.

When the merchants finally had to leave to conduct their business, Naruto was heartbroken.

"I wish they could stay all year long," the little blond haired boy said sadly as he looked after the motley crew. He paused, and then his eyes brightened, "Or! I could go with them!"

"Yes," Minato chuckled, "perhaps you can stow away on one of their carts and then _you'll_ become one of their stories in the future."

Naruto's beamed, "That's a great idea!"

A thread of alarm jolted through Minato's body, "You're not serious?"

"Of course I am! It wouldn't be for very long of course, because I don't want to see Kakashi-niisan, Jiji, Kabuto, Shirou, Kaoru, and Yuuta only once a year, but I maybe I'll take a little vacation."

"Naruto," Minato's voice was pained, because he didn't want to burst his son's bubble like that, "you can't go with them."

"Why not? Are you afraid that I'll miss too much school? I promise I'll study extra hard although we both know that I'm waaay ahead of the curriculum already."

"It's not that either," Minato sighed. It would have been easier if it was. "It's—ah, as a child of Konoha, you're not allowed outside of these walls unless accompanied by a certified adult. It's harder for you even, because you're my child, which means it's dangerous for you out there and you would need both a good reason and at least one shinobi guard."

"Does this have to do with the Yondaime thing again?"

"Yes."

Naruto was silent for a while. Minato knew that it wasn't in his son's nature to be sullen, but still he felt a pang of guilt for both lying and being honest all in one go. It was true that as the son of the Yellow Flash, Naruto would be bound to have many enemies simply because Minato had a lot of enemies. He knew it wasn't fair on his son to have to once again, deal with Minato's leftovers.

The other reason was of course, the Kyuubi.

"I just," Naruto finally said, his voice so forlorn that Minato felt his heart go out to him, "really want to see what it's like out there. I wonder if all the people would treat me like…"

He didn't finish, but he didn't have to.

"How about this?" Minato said suddenly, "I'll tell you some of my adventures outside of Konoha, and I'll even show you some pictures. It won't be the same but… it'll prepare you a little when you graduate and can go yourself."

Naruto beamed at the response.

Minato smiled, glad that he had managed to quell some of Naruto's melancholy, although he knew he would not be able to discharge it all. He started with a simple story about the Land of Tea and his first C rank mission, complete with pictures and re-enactments that had his son giggling. As he went on, he couldn't help but remember his first encounter with the foreign travelers.

Kushina.

He still remembered the day that she'd flounced into town, all red curls and important looking clothes. She'd been accompanied by more than half a dozen guards, all of whom looked stern faced and serious about watching after her.

She had seemed like an impossibly high pedestal at the time, so far up that nobody save for maybe the Uchiha or the Hyuuga could reach.

Everyone had been abuzz about what her arrival could mean, and the children who did not understand her presence did understand that she was from a land that was not Konoha. They were tittering with nervousness and excitement over what stories she might tell and how different she would be, and Minato had to admit himself no different.

And then she'd joined the Academy and blurted out that she'd become the Hokage of Konoha.

Everyone had laughed and dismissed her, no longer fearing her as that Uzumaki who came to become their next Mikito, but Minato had been entranced.

He'd never seen such fierce determination, such fiery passion. He'd passed through his life at that point afraid to try at anything, but she made him want to be the best at everything.

Eventually it was he and not her who had become Hokage. He'd always felt like a bit of a fake, because it had always been Kushina's dream and not his. But she'd insisted that he take it, and so he'd done it, all for her.

But that was a story for another time. Even for Naruto, Minato wasn't sure if he could bring it up.

* * *

><p><strong>Daddy<strong>

…**and ten months (Konoha Hills)**

Naruto sat at the edge of the hill overlooking the Hokage monument, his legs swinging underneath him as he gazed at the proud, chiseled faces.

Minato, useless even in his spirit form, fluttered around Naruto, unsure of what to do.

Today had been a show and tell day. It was long standing tradition for the younger years to have one once a month so that the students could get to know each other better, and for the most part, it worked excellently. Everyone was hyped up to learn about everyone else, and to make fun of the occasional person if it came to that.

Naruto usually loved it. It was one of the only times at the Academy that Naruto didn't ask Minato for a lesson about something different than what the people at the front were saying, and he seemed genuinely interested in what all his classmates had to contribute.

Minato wasn't surprised. Naruto was always a caring person, and he was also quite the social butterfly despite the fact that nobody in his class could match him intellectually. His classmates would never be his true friends, but they were mostly all friendly with each other.

Naruto had explained that it was 'really neat' to learn about people, to see what they cared for and how they differed from him.

But he didn't like it today.

Today they'd talked about their parents.

Minato wouldn't say that Naruto had been blindsided per se. He'd pulled through admirably, and while he'd been hesitant at first when everybody had started talking about their guardians, Minato thought that his string of encouragements had quelled any misery.

Naruto had gone up to the stand and delivered a fine presentation about the other people in his life, and he was completely genuine as he did it. But after class, Naruto had raced straight for the Hokage monuments, and he hadn't left since.

Minato sighed, "Naru-chan, are you alright?"

He knew that the little blond wasn't. There was no way that Naruto could be. There was also the fact that if Naruto were alright, he would not be sitting by himself after school gazing at the village like it was going to abandon him. Still, Minato had to ask the question if he wanted to get somewhere.

There was silence at first, and Minato didn't push his son. He knew that when Naruto was ready, his boy would be ready. Sure enough, the smaller blond finally answered.

"It's just," the sorrowful boy replied, "everyone got to show off someone, you know? Even the other kids at the orphanage had caregivers. But I couldn't—"

"You talked about the Sandaime and Kakashi," Minato reminded gently. "They took just as good care of you as the patrons of the orphanage did with those other kids."

"But I didn't want to talk about Jiji or Kakashi-niisan!" Naruto burst out. "I love them, I do, but I wanted to talk about _you_."

There was a brief pause that seemed to stretch on for ages.

Minato exhaled, his voice sorrowful, "Oh Naruto…"

"I don't—I don't get it," Naruto whispered, tears prickling at the edge of his eyes, "Why can't I talk about you?"

Minato shut his eyes. He had always feared when this moment would come, but he knew he would have to explain now. To do otherwise would be unfair to his son. There was no hiding from it, just as there was no hiding from telling the Sandaime everything that he knew about Madara.

Still, he wished that it would have been at a time that was less emotionally charged for his son, although if he thought about it, he couldn't think of any calm scenario where he would be explaining this.

Guiltily Minato realized that he'd never bring it up, and if Naruto never confronted him about it, then Naruto would be unlikely to know until the day Minato left.

"Alright Naru-chan," Minato said after taking a breath, "this is hard to hear, so bear with me until the end, alright? The reason that nobody can know about me is because I'm actually, well, dead."

In a motion that was almost subconscious, Naruto nodded his head. Minato waited for the real meaning of what he had just said to sink in, for Naruto to start freaking out, but it didn't happen. When nothing of what he had expected came to pass, Minato realized that he had calculated something incorrectly.

Minato's eyes widened, "You knew?"

"I think—" blue eyes shuttered closed, and Naruto took in a deep breath, "I think I've always known, but it really only became clear to me last year, when we explained everything to Jiji."

Minato slammed the heel of his hand against his forehead. Of course it had been that day! Naruto's reactions had been so out of the ordinary. He felt the beginnings of guilt start to churn in his stomach. He could not believe that he had not noticed this sooner and had Naru-chan been dealing with this for a whole year?

"You should have said something," Minato whispered sorrowfully.

Naruto ducked his head, his voice heavy with guilt and sadness, "I just didn't want to think about it. That was wrong of me, right?"

Minato shook his head, leaning forward and treading a hand through Naruto's hair. He knew that Naruto couldn't feel it, but something about the gesture was reassuring. "No, of course it wasn't Naru-chan. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with things. You just have to remember that often times, telling will make you feel a hundred times better than keeping secrets."

Instead of being reassured, the blond seemed to pull further into himself. Naruto hugged his legs to his chest, burying his face in his knees, "I just… you're really dead?"

"It doesn't change how I feel about you," Minato said gently. "We're still the same as we used to be. As we've always been."

And so he explained. About Naruto's mother. About the Kyuubi. About the sealing and what had happened afterwards.

Naruto listened dutifully, thankfully relaxing a little with every revelation.

"So you cheated death for me?" Naruto breathed, looking a little awed at the end.

Minato smiled sadly at the reply. It wasn't quite like that, no, but now he wished nothing more than that it was. "No one can cheat death Naru-chan."

"But my daddy can do something _like_ that," Naruto replied with a faint smile on his face, pride lining every inch of his voice, "so he's the bestest."

Minato laughed, a little nervously, because boy was it ever awkward to be on the receiving end of praise.

Suddenly Naruto leapt to his feet, a determined glint in his eye, "You know you know? I couldn't show and tell you to the class, so I'll do it right here. Daddy is the bestest because he knows everything important, and the things he doesn't know, no one else knows either, so he can't be blamed for it. He's the bestest because he's patient with me even when I can be super annoying. He teaches me to get me to do the unfun stuff, which I know most daddies don't do, and he never loses his temper. He's always there to make me happy again even if the cause of upset is something he's warned me against. Daddy's not perfect. He tends to keep secrets. But nobody is perfect 'cause I read that in a book, but all the same, I love my daddy."

Minato felt his throat close. He had no idea what he'd done to deserve such a wonderful son, but he wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

* * *

><p>An: Does anyone want to explain to me what's happening in the Naruto manga right now? Because I admit to skipping a lot of chapters and now I'm confused as heck.


	7. Seven Years Old

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Seven Years Old<strong>

"_My family? Nah, I never really see the rest of my clan. They don't want to be around a drop out like me, and I don't want to be around stuck ups like them. We like the arrangement just fine." ~Uchiha Obito_

* * *

><p><strong>Protected<strong>

…**and two months (Academy Grounds)**

"Eleven and twelve!" Naruto exclaimed as landed lightly on his feet, finishing from his flip perfectly. Around him, four scattered targets sported new accessories; three kunai embedded deeply at their respective centers.

The crowd of children who had been watching him burst into excited claps, delighted with this new trick. Naruto turned to beam at them. It always felt awesome to be acknowledged.

Daddy always told him not to be too prideful, but Naruto could hear the undercurrent of satisfaction in Daddy's voice and thought that it wasn't that serious of a command. Besides, Naruto didn't think that he was _too_ bad. He never let the praises get to his head.

Whatever moves he demonstrated were never learned for the sole purpose of impressing the Academy. But if Daddy taught him new moves every week and Naruto just happened to have some spare time to show everyone how awesome it was at school, no one could complain, right?

Nara Shikamaru broke from the clamor first, his eyes contemplative as he raised a brow at the blond, "Are those real kunai, Naruto?"

They were all currently in the Academy training grounds, with the teacher having taken a quick break to attend to some emergency another older student had come in to bring.

Daddy had gotten a rather serious expression at the whispered words exchanged and had decided to go with them, with a whispered promise to Naruto that he'd be back soon. Naruto had to admit that he was curious, but he also trusted Daddy to tell him about it later if it was anything important.

Their teacher had allowed them to continue practicing, if not only because their kunai were all blunted at the end and had little chance of hurting them. There was also the fact that they were nearing the end of their second year at the Academy, and if the group of children who would be the future of Konoha could not remain unsupervised for a short period of time, then Konoha was doomed from the onset.

But of course no one really practiced when the teacher had gone. There were a few who were keen enough, namely Uchiha Sasuke and the quiet Aburame boy whose name Naruto thought might be Shino. Naruto himself had been pulled into a conversation with Kiba and the others, and had somehow or another gotten roped into doing a series of complex maneuvers just to show that he could.

"Nope," Naruto chirped in response, although he knew why the Nara was asking. He'd long since learned the specialties of each clan residing in Konoha and he didn't think for one second that the son of their current Head of Tactics division could be as slow as he liked to come off.

But boy was the Nara ever lazy. Naruto never paid any special attention to him and he still picked up on that. Still, if any of their classmates could come close to truly understanding Naruto, it would be Shikamaru.

"I got the kunai to stay in through chakra manipulation." Naruto kicked up a stray pebble. He turned it between his fingers twice before suddenly throwing it with full force towards the ground. It sent up a little spray of dust as it entrenched itself deep within the earth. "You can get just about anything to act like a sharp object through throwing it with chakra. See?"

"Wow really?" Shiraishi Nahoko burst in, sounding excited, "That's so cool!"

"Woah! Do you think I could do that?" A boy this time—a civilian born child by the name of Kunda Nakazo if Naruto remembered correctly—shouted eagerly.

"Don't be ridiculous Kunda," another girl yelled out from the crowd, "only Naruto-kun could pull off something like that!"

Shikamaru just pulled back at the response, looking satisfied.

Naruto couldn't help but feel happy about the responses.

Unfortunately, it seemed that not everybody had good things to say.

"What a lame trick," a voice among the students drawled, and a moment later Seito Kogoro stepped into view. He had his hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face, but unlike Shikamaru there was no kindness in his eyes. "I can't believe that you've gotten everyone so excited over something simple like this, Uzumaki."

"Like you could do it, Kogoro-kun!" Another yelled from the crowd.

But Seito didn't pay any attention to them. Him and his hate filled eyes were solely for Naruto.

Naruto hesitated. He never quite knew how to deal with situations like this. Seito Kogoro was one of those dissenters who disliked him greatly just because of how fast he was able to rise and for the reason of the Kyuubi as Daddy had explained that fateful day on the hills. 'Course, Seito didn't know it actually was the Kyuubi. He just knew that his parents didn't like Naruto.

He couldn't say that he liked Seito, but he didn't hate him either. Daddy had always said to try and turn dislike into compassion, but Naruto had never been very good at that. He understood where Seito was coming from, he did, but he could never picture himself doing the same so Naruto was not very empathetic. Naruto would simply be very happy to never see him again.

"I was just practicing," Naruto responded simply, "and honestly it's not a trick that can't be learned. I was just the first to learn it, and maybe everyone wanted to see a demonstration?"

Everyone subconsciously nodded and beamed at the answer, which didn't put himself down too much but was kind to the audience. And Naruto wasn't even really lying. He was just phrasing things in a compromising matter just like Daddy showed him.

Seito's eyes flashed. If anything, Naruto's even reply seemed to have set him more on edge.

"Oh?" He sneered, "And I suppose you're going to say that your clan helped you learn it?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised. After all, the question seemed to have come out of nowhere at all. "No, I'm an orphan. Everyone knows that."

He wanted, more than anything, to talk about his Daddy and how he learned everything from him. But it'd been explained why he couldn't and he had always had a sense even before that it was not a normal situation. He felt the first stirrings of pride at being entrusted to keep such a huge secret.

But Seito wasn't done yet. Whatever Naruto's answer was, it seemed like it was one that Seito was looking for. A huge smirk appeared on his lips, and he crossed his arms triumphantly, "Ah, but you wear the mark of a clan anyway."

Naruto suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about this.

"I did some research you know," Seito continued. "The name Uzumaki is really hidden away, but it's in the records. And guess what? They were so powerful that they were a nation once and one of their clansmen was the wife of the Sage of Six Paths!"

Naruto swallowed. He hadn't known that. He didn't know anything about his mother's side, actually. He hadn't gone digging because he'd wanted to hear it from… Daddy.

"So basically you're saying Naruto comes from some impressive background," Kiba snorted, thankfully cutting in. "Your point is?"

"But that's just it!" Seito smiled, "I'm not sure if that's the case. I mean, if the clan were so big and all, why haven't they come for him? Why aren't they really mentioned in school? He's an orphan and it seems like a rather fantastic story that he's related to something so huge, isn't it? He acts like he's from a big clan with that swirl stitched on his clothing, but I wonder if that's maybe just a lie. And I wonder what else he has lied about."

It didn't matter if Seito made the others doubt him. Well, it did, because Naruto could foresee that if he lost the confidence of his classmates his school life would be much more miserable, but it was not that remark which set him off.

Naruto's eyes flashed. He couldn't take this anymore.

"I didn't lie about anything," he snapped. "The name 'Uzumaki' is one that my caretakers at the orphanage gave me. I don't know if I'm related to that clan or not, but I'm proud to bear its name."

Now it was Seito's turn to grow angry, as Naruto's 'cool' reply had the other children on his side again. "Yeah? Well it doesn't change the fact that your mother was still trash!"

Naruto felt his inhibitions fly at those words.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, "She was a great shinobi!"

"Oh yeah?" Seito said tauntingly, "Then why isn't she on any of the serving lists in the history textbooks, hmm? I bet she was just a whore who followed the shinobi around and that's why you don't have a real last name."

Naruto shook.

He wanted, so much so, to go over to the other boy and shake him. To scare him into submission because Naruto had so many skills that the other didn't have and Seito couldn't possibly fight him off. To force him to take back the things he was saying about Naruto's mum because they weren't true weren't true _weren't true_!

But he couldn't do that, could he?

Not only would it be a horrendous misuse of the shinobi arts, but it would go against everything that Daddy taught him. He thought, maybe, Daddy would forgive him since the slight was against Mum, but it still wasn't right to bully someone so much weaker than he was.

Seito had no idea what he was talking about, and Naruto knew that violence didn't solve things.

He took a deep, calming breath. He wasn't sure how well it worked, but there was nothing else for it.

"I," he said tightly, "am going to leave before I do something I regret."

And then, not giving Seito a chance to reply—not giving any of them a chance to reply—Naruto turned and leapt into the trees.

He ended up at Teuchi's.

He wanted to go to Daddy, but some part of him was shamed about the whole encounter and some of him was still angry, too. Naruto would never keep anything from his father, but he wanted some time to get over it first. He hated how it all made him react.

Whether in curse or blessing Naruto didn't know, Kabuto happened to be at Teuchi's that day too.

"Naruto," the silver haired teen said in surprise when he spotted the blue eyed boy. He straightened, and waved the blond over, "What are you doing here?"

Naruto smiled helplessly as he slid into a seat beside his friend. He lifted his shoulders into a light shrug, "I wanted some ramen?"

"It's always you and ramen isn't it?" Kabuto smiled, shaking his head.

"You know it," Naruto grinned right back, before calling over Teuchi and placing his order. The old man, bless his soul, finished making the dish within five minutes, and before Naruto knew it he had a bowl of steaming noodles in front of him.

He took one bite. It was as delicious as always.

Naruto sighed as he pulled back and looked at the heavenly looking bowl. It was made to perfection as always, because Teuchi had made it. The ramen shop owner had very quantifiable qualities, and anyone who met him would know how loving and caring he was.

Naruto knew it was unfair to think like this, but he really really wished that people could have truly met his parents, too.

Kabuto, as always, seemed to follow his train of thought exactly. The silver haired boy leaned forward, steeping his fingers together and resting his chin atop the lace of his fingers. His eyes glittered as he regarded the smaller blond boy, "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Three things. One, you ordered Miso ramen, your favorite. You usually only get that if you need cheering up. Two, despite having your favorite dish, you've barely touched it. And that tells me you must be _really_ upset. Three, shinobi may only be required to be somewhere during missions, but I know for a fact that Academy students adhere to a strict schedule. You don't need to attend a single class but you do anyway because you want a good record, so that means that there must be some reason you're skipping class."

Naruto slumped in his seat, playing idly with the noodles in his bowl.

"It's just some academy students being jerks," he muttered. He knew it was childish, but he couldn't just let it go like Daddy had taught him to. He shook his head, "But you've had it much worse."

"Yes well," Kabuto said lightly, "I don't have to deal with them any longer, do I?"

Kabuto had passed the chuunin exams with flying colors. Naruto wasn't sure if the silver haired teen had ever really revealed his skills to his teammates. Naruto had gone to watch the third portion of the exam and Kabuto's teammates had sure looked shocked at his display of skill. Kabuto didn't win, but he came close and Naruto secretly thought that the teen might have lost the semi-finals on purpose.

Shirakawa and Yosano hadn't passed, and Kabuto revealed to him later that they'd gotten a new teammate from the graduating class. Since Kabuto was a chuunin now, he mostly did solo missions or big group ones with new people who were much more professional.

Naruto was really glad that his friend passed. Kabuto seemed so much happier now.

"It's just," Naruto sighed, looking down at his shoes. He recognized Kabuto's move for what it was. The silver haired teen was giving Naruto an open opportunity to complain, and Naruto was guilty to say that he was going to take it. "They insulted my mum."

Something passed across Kabuto's eyes, "Oh?"

"It wasn't even really what they said," Naruto continued, fiddling with the edge of his shirt, "it's just—" He fists clenched, causing his shirt to bunch up unpleasantly. He squeezed his eyes shut, finally getting to the root of the problem. "I couldn't even _defend_ her Kabuto! The fact of the matter is, I don't know anything about my mother, so I don't know… I don't know if what they say is true or not."

He hated it. Hated the fact that everything his classmates said could be true. Hated himself for doubting his mother and in the same stroke, knowing that he wouldn't be surprised if he found out that she was some enemy ninja.

He knew what it meant to be shinobi, and he knew that it could be very ugly. He _wanted_ his mum to be the best ever, but it was so hard, impossible even, to think that anyone could be like Daddy, even if it was his own mother.

Daddy never talked about her, and whenever Naruto brought her up, Daddy changed the subject. He was subtle about it of course, and never admitted to doing so, but Naruto had caught on to it eventually and secretly it worried him.

While Naruto thought that there was always love in Daddy's voice whenever he mentioned her, he couldn't be sure. What did he have to compare it against after all?

What if his mother really was a horrible terrible lady who hurt Daddy really really bad and that was why he never said anything? He didn't think he could stand it if someone hurt Daddy, even if it was his mum.

His thoughts were all confused whenever it came to Uzumaki Kushina.

"Do you want to know why I'm so hated?" Kabuto said suddenly.

Naruto's head snapped up in surprise, "What?"

"You must have been curious about why my teammates despised me so much," Kabuto clarified. "It's not because that I'm a civilian—I'm not, and you know that."

Naruto nodded dazedly. He'd read the name 'Yakushi' in many history texts and knew that while that family were not a clan, they were far from being harmless civilians either. But for a first time in a long time, Naruto could not see where his friend was going with this.

A light smile danced across Kabuto's face, as if he could read Naruto's confusion. "As you know, I'm adopted. Yakushi Genrei has been kind to me, but he is not my father. What I have not told you yet is _how_ I was adopted."

"I don't—" Naruto started, only to fumble a bit with his words. "It doesn't matter to me the reason why. You're you."

Kabuto's smile blossomed into something more sincere.

"I know," he said simply. "But Naruto, I _want_ to tell you." He paused for a moment, his eyes gaining a far away quality, "It's strange you know. I thought that I'd want to avoid this topic forever, but with you, it's surprisingly okay."

It was on the tip of Naruto's tongue to inform Kabuto that Daddy said that talking was a sign of healing, but at the last moment he remembered himself and stopped the words. He felt guilty for still keeping one of the biggest aspects of his life from Kabuto when it seemed like the silver haired boy was opening up to him, but Daddy wasn't Naruto's secret, not really.

Even the Sandaime had warned Naruto against giving the slightest hint to Daddy's existence, and after Daddy's explanation atop the Konoha hills, Naruto thought he understood why. Still, he wondered now if maybe he could ask for Kabuto to be let in on the secret.

"Nine years ago, there was a skirmish at Kikyo Pass," Kabuto continued, his voice quieting, "It was the Third Great Shinobi War and the attacking parties were Konoha and another unknown group. The battle was bloody, and many shinobi of Konoha died that day. But in the end, it was Konoha that won. But something was strange about one of the enemy shinobi that day. For one reason or another, he had brought his baby son with him, and when he was killed, his son was left exposed. That boy should have died."

Naruto sucked in a startled breath, his eyes going wide.

Kabuto smiled sadly at the response, "You're seeing where I'm going with this? Yes, that boy was me. If Konoha did as they should have and killed me, or even just left me there because a year old child couldn't possibly hope to survive by himself—then I would not be here right now. But Yakushi Genrei, who was then the leader of the medical corps, did not allow that. Instead he took me in and raised me as his own. Still, he's not my father. I don't know my true parents either, but I can accurately guess that they were enemies of Konoha."

The explanation felt unbelievably sad.

"Genrei erased all record of the identity of the unknown group from that day," Kabuto mused. "I believe he hoped that if he didn't mention it, then no one could argue that my loyalties were elsewhere, but it's an open secret that I'm the child of someone who was once an enemy of Konoha. Nothing Genrei does will change that."

Naruto straightened, trying to pull himself back together. In the end, none of this changed anything about Kabuto. "Do you know who that unknown group was?"

Kabuto shook his head, something dark passing through his eyes, "No. Maybe Genrei finds me untrustworthy too. Well, I don't blame him. Finding your true heritage, turning back to somewhere you know that you belong—that is a tempting offer."

"You would never betray Konoha though," Naruto protested.

Kabuto's lips twitched, "I know your views on the matter, Naruto. It doesn't really matter anyway. My point was, the reason I'm so hated in Konoha is because many believe that my loyalty cannot be trusted. And if I cannot be trusted, it is no doubt on every shinobi's mind that they may have to one day stick a kunai through my back. Why then, would you make the effort to like someone like that?"

Naruto's mouth was dry. For the first time in a long time, he had no ready reply, no great words of wisdom. He wished that Daddy were here to tell him to say something, because this was just too sad.

"Kabuto—" Naruto started, only for his voice to stutter to a stop, the words sticking in his throat. He felt as if he were going to cry.

"It felt odd to say all that," Kabuto said with a small smile, shaking his head. "The point is, it's all in the past now."

"But you're still—"

"No," Kabuto said softly, "no I don't dwell on it anymore. I used to, I'll admit to that, but now the thoughts hardly ever cross my mind. I only brought it up again today in able to tell you that no matter what your past was like, it doesn't affect who you are now. You've shown me that, and now I want to show it to you."

Naruto sucked in a shaky breath, his eyes as wide as saucers. This was all for him? He couldn't even… to be able to start to comprehend the magnitude of it seemed impossible.

Kabuto leaned over, and clasped Naruto's hand in his. For a moment he hesitated, and then he took in a breath and ploughed on, "So Naruto… no matter what your mother is like, you'll always have me as a friend, alright?"

"I—" Naruto choked, the words stuck in his throat. He struggled to say something, anything, in light of Kabuto's poignant revelation.

For the first time, Naruto thought he understood what the others meant when they said that no words came to mind. He'd always been able to think of _something_ to say and find phrases which would describe his feelings exactly, but currently, he felt too much.

Naruto cried, and he didn't know why.

* * *

><p><strong>Jutsu<strong>

…**and four months (Naruto's Apartment)**

"Jutsu?" Minato questioned.

Naruto nodded eagerly, "Yeah! I've mastered all the Academy ones, plus all the chakra exercises that you've taught me, so can't I learn a real live jutsu?"

Minato's only response was a frown. He was sure that he'd never given the impressions that jutsus were overly important to a shinobi's career, and while some books may have glorified the usage of flashy techniques, there were equally as many which emphasized the importance of stealth and intelligence.

Certainly young children had a tendency to only take value in what they saw in front of them rather than what they knew would be helpful in the future, and jutsus verses the other shinobi disciplines were the perfect example of that. Academy school children could not be expected to _not_ ask to be taught jutsu if they were given a chance.

But Naruto was not like that. He had always understood that there were multiple factors to being shinobi, and he learned accordingly.

Minato felt a stirring of unease. Naruto had always placed Minato's judgment at the forefront and this was the first time his lesson plans had actually been questioned like this. He wasn't sure what to do.

"There's still many things you've yet to master," Minato said, instead. "Your observational skills are fantastic, but you do tend to forget to take stock of things unless you're directly asked to. Your comprehension of politics, your stealth, your sealing…"

Naruto wrinkled his nose, "Sealing's a total bore though!"

"Naruto!" Minato reprimanded.

The smaller blond deflated, his eyes dropping to the floor, "S—sorry."

Minato instantly felt his heart go out to the child, his tone softening considerably, "No, I should be the one to apologize, Naru-chan. I didn't mean to be short with you. You're allowed to have your own opinion of course, it's just that sealing is…"

"…part of my heritage as an Uzumaki, and mother would have wanted me to learn it, I know," Naruto replied glumly. It was not without some cheek, but not so much that it was truly meant to hurt his father.

Minato felt a pang in his chest. He didn't want to be insensitive to Naruto, but it was vastly important that he retained something of Kushina. Minato could see so much of himself in Naruto, and he knew it was because he was here to raise him while Kushina was not. It was not fair that her child would have nothing of her.

Besides, Minato would not have forced Naruto to pursue sealing if he thought that his son truly hated it. Naruto didn't, however. He tackled sealing with the same relentless energy he did everything else, and at times when he succeeded he couldn't seem to stop babbling about his successes. Minato just wished he would love it more as a whole.

"Here," Minato said gently, seeking to correct his transgression somewhat by bringing up a topic Naruto obviously wanted to discuss. "Why don't you tell me the real reason that you want to learn a jutsu?"

Naruto instantly brightened, as Minato knew he would. Naruto was slow to anger and quick to forgive, and Minato once again marveled about how he had managed to receive such a wonderful child. "It's Sasuke! He's not dumb, but I'm sure I work just as hard as him! I know it's not a competition but… if he can do a jutsu, then I know I can too!"

Minato's mouth formed a small 'o' in comprehension, and he did not know why he had not thought of it sooner. Perhaps it was because Naruto had not said anything at the time, and while the event had been remarkable, it hadn't been so impressionable that it'd stuck in Minato's mind. But Naruto must have dwelled on it.

Just two days ago Sasuke had demonstrated proudly to his class that he'd learned the pride of the Uchiha Clan, the Great Fireball technique. It was the one thing the Uchiha had managed to do before Naruto, and now Minato remembered how smug little Sasuke-kun had been.

Uchiha Sasuke hated Naruto with something of a passion. He was too well bred to really say anything, but it was obvious from the way that he sometimes looked at the blond and the way that he spoke to Naruto that he didn't like the Uzumaki.

Naruto thought it was because of the same reasons everyone else hated him, but Minato knew better. He'd heard of Uchiha Itachi's accomplishments and knew Fugaku's standards. Since Naruto was already the top of his class, it naturally meant that nobody else could take that spot.

Minato had been impressed at the time, and remembered thinking that Fugaku should learn how to treasure this one.

Still…

"Well I'm not sure Sasuke-kun should have learned that jutsu," Minato replied, thinking back to the burns he'd noticed on the Uchiha's hands. He knew that Naruto had seen them too. "Especially so young. I wonder what Fugaku was thinking."

"What's wrong with learning jutsu?" Naruto asked, just a hint of a whine beginning in his voice.

Minato sighed, "Jutsus are a whole other level of potential disaster Naru-chan. You aren't ready yet."

"If Sasuke can learn it, so can I!" Naruto paused, as if he'd just realized how that sounded, "I mean, I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I've beaten him in every single subject. I'm _pretty sure_ I have at least the same learning curve as he does, although I suppose if there were special circumstances surrounding his learning of the Great Fireball Jutsu…"

"I'm not doubting that you _could_," Minato interrupted sternly, "but I _am_ questioning the judgment of teaching a seven year old something so potentially deadly. Look Naruto, shinobi techniques aren't meant for showing off. The fact that Uchiha Sasuke displayed his clan art like that to a group of small children only confirms that there is a reason Academy students are not taught any of the elemental jutsus."

"I'm not Sasuke! Look, I won't show off. I won't even show them to anybody if you don't want me to, I promise!"

Minato sighed, "It's not just about showing off. If you use it in a sparring situation and misjudge a combat situation, you could hurt both yourself and your allies. I'm not questioning your judgment, and when you're a little bit older I promise to teach you everything I know. But not until then, alright?"

"It sure sounds a lot like questioning my judgment to me," Naruto replied snidely, folding his arms across his chest.

Minato stared. Where had his polite and obedient son gone?

"Where did you learn this attitude from?" Minato questioned. He knew he didn't follow Naruto when he was playing with any of his friends, but he hadn't thought of any of them as bad influences.

"Well not from you, obviously!" Naruto said, incensed, before whirling from his spot and stomping out the door.

Minato just stared, stupefied. He wasn't sure what had just happened.

And then, he frowned, because he had at least understood one implication of that whole exchange.

Naruto's last statement was as much of a jab towards Minato not teaching him as much as an angered declaration. It was alarming that Naruto wanted to learn jutsus so badly that he'd even fight with Minato over it.

"Naruto!" Minato called out, "Naruto!"

But Naruto didn't respond. Either he was too far away to hear by now or he didn't want to reply. Minato's stomach churned at the thought of the latter option, because Naruto had never _not_ wanted his father's presence.

"What brought this on?" He asked miserably, tilting his face to the heavens as if they could give him a reply. Of course, they did not.

Letting out a sigh, Minato drifted over to the couch. He supposed there was nothing for it but to wait out the storm. Experiences with Naruto getting angry was new, but he did distinctly remember a certain red head storming in and out of his apartment whenever she pleased.

"Of all the traits of your mother to have," he murmured to himself, shaking his head. Still, he couldn't truly be upset at that comparison. It was, undoubtedly, much better than his own anger, which though was slow to come, was unbearable when it arrived.

He much preferred Kushina's quick and easy temper as opposed to his own cold one, which scared even himself at times. He was glad he'd never seen it in his son.

_Their_ son.

"Is this your way of punishing me?" He asked with a twitch of his lips, remembering how it was just moments earlier that he was bemoaning Naruto not having anything of Kushina's. Of course he shouldn't have been so presumptuous.

His moment of shock passing into a sort of peaceful waiting, Minato allowed himself to settle back on the couch and truly think of the conversation he'd just had. Or, if he were to be more accurate, the argument.

He should probably think up of a solution by the time Naruto was home. That had always been his role.

Minato was still not sure what had brought it on exactly. While Sasuke seemed to hate Naruto with a passion, Naruto did not return the hatred in kind. Long used to the abhorrence of the villagers, the smaller blond had just taken Sasuke's resentment in stride as part of his everyday life.

If anything the disregard seemed to make Sasuke even angrier, but this wasn't about Sasuke. Minato just couldn't understand why Naruto would respond to a challenge from the dark haired Uchiha, as blatant as it was.

While Naruto was certainly never afraid of confrontation, he also was wise enough to choose his fights and not take offense over it if others thought he was scared. The show of the Great Fireball technique of the Uchiha Clan should not have made Naruto so agitated that he'd fight with Minato over it.

Or did Minato just not know his son as well as he thought?

Minato frowned at the reflection, an uneasy feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. But no, no he was pretty sure he did know Naruto well. Or at the very least, Minato knew that Naruto wasn't this petty.

Minato sighed. To be honest, while he hadn't quite planned on teaching Naruto jutsus just yet, there was probably no real reason that he shouldn't. Naruto was smart and careful, and he definitely wouldn't abuse his rights. Teaching him a real jutsu was the next logical step in his instruction.

But there was a small, irrational part of him that felt that if Naruto learned real jutsus—one more technique that would bring him closer to being a real shinobi—then he'd drift away.

There were many things that Naruto did not know yet, and one of the biggest was how to learn jutsus. If Naruto mastered that, he'd be one step closer to being a true shinobi, one that was independent and could determine his own way out of situations. He would be one step closer to not needing Minato.

And suddenly, Minato froze, just realizing what he'd been thinking of.

He slowly unwound, chuckling to himself as he shook his head, "I really am something."

Had he truly just contemplated holding his own son back so that he could stay for a little while longer? It was such a ludicrous deliberation.

"Maybe this was never about Naruto being hurt," he murmured to himself worriedly, cerulean eyes darkening as he contemplated his motives. Not for the first time he questioned his judgment, questioned his decisions.

He'd made many mistakes in the past, he knew. There were many times when he was floundering as much as everybody else and the only difference was that he did not show it. Even when he did not know what the right decisions were, he made them. Everyone expected him to after all.

He supposed it came with genius, and made a note to ask the Sandaime if he'd experienced something similar. In the Academy it had been the other students who'd looked up to him for guidance, on his team his teammates. In the field, during the war, he was field commander and sensei. And then, after that, he was Hokage and Father.

He wasn't allowed to be wrong, but now he wondered if he'd mistook that for that he never was wrong. There was a big difference.

And yes, there were many times when he'd chosen wrongly.

Ironically enough, he'd come frightfully close to making one at the inception of Naruto's birth. Hadn't he wondered if it might really be worth it to seal himself in his son? Hadn't he thought that it would be much easier to follow after Kushina at the onslaught?

And now he could not be happier that he'd chosen as he did.

Watching his son, his little boy grow up to be this wonderful shinobi filled his chest with pride and his heart with wonder. He could not believe that he'd almost missed the opportunity in a hastily misguided decision.

Minato let out a breath, leaning back against his chair. He let out a faint chuckle, "That decides it, I suppose."

He was too hasty in determining that Naruto could as of yet learn any jutsu.

Perhaps Naruto had seen that. The boy could make surprising connections at times.

Nodding to himself, Minato lifted himself from the couch and floated off to find Naruto. It was easy enough to pinpoint his location. While Minato now had a spiritual form, he still was technically sealed with the Kyuubi, and so there was a connection to that initial seal which he suspected would never quite be broken.

A frown flickered over his face as he felt Naruto's distance from him. Naruto had not only gone outside, but to a training field!

A moment later, the frown smoothed out. Naruto, Minato realized, had likely gone there to work out his frustrations.

And that was exactly what Minato found.

Except, the method in which Naruto had chosen to express his frustrations left much to be desired.

Naruto was indeed standing in the middle of the training ground, but the training ground was not what Minato had remembered it to be. Instead of lush green trees and sweet smelling grass, the whole area looked like a war zone. The trees were charred almost beyond recognition, and the grass had turned to little more than charcoal.

In the midst of the burnt section of forest and acrid smell of smoke in the air was Naruto, his clothes torn and singed, his hair colored black with soot. He was sitting in the center of the ess, sniffling as he clutched his hand to his chest.

Minato instantly realized that Naruto must have been trying to practice the Great Fireball Technique. Sasuke had demonstrated it once with exaggerated slowness and Naruto was smart enough to catch the hand signals. He'd come here then, to practice, even after Minato had forbidden him.

He could not even find it within himself to be angry.

"Naruto!" Minato called out in terrified worry, rushing over to his son as quickly as he could. Even as he asked his eyes were scanning his son's body for any injury, or any injury which Naruto may have been hiding. "Naruto! Are you alright?!"

Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes going wide with guilt. When Minato reached his side he collapsed into choked sobs. Despite all that, Minato was relieved to see that he apparently wasn't sporting any injury other than a couple of bruises and his battered pride.

"I—I'm sorry!" He cried.

Minato felt his heart go out to the child. He bent down to wrap his arms around the boy, even though he knew neither of them could feel it. Just for the moment, he bitterly wished that he hadn't allowed his physical body to be destroyed, and he could offer more to the boy who truly deserved everything.

"Shh shh," he hushed, "it'll be alright."

Naruto shook his head, refusing to believe him, "It won't! It won't! You warned me that I wasn't ready for jutsus, but I thought I was so I—hic—so I decided that I had to try it and show you that I _could_ do it. Sa—Sasuke showed his hand seals real slow, and I was able—"

"I know Naruto, I know," Minato whispered, closing his eyes and feeling pained by the admission. How much of this could they have avoided if he'd just agreed in the first place?

"I couldn't do it," Naruto said glumly. "I—I couldn't pull it off. Even though Sasuke could and Kabuto can and has taught me lots of cool tricks. But I—I'm—"

"You've had what?" Minato asked gently, "One hour? Two? I'll be you anything that Sasuke had at least a month to master that technique."

Naruto let out a sigh, deflating. "I still shouldn't have tried it, should I?"

Minato shook his head. Even if he'd been wrong, Naruto had been also. "No, you shouldn't have."

"It's just," Naruto sniffed, looking down at his shirt, "Sasuke's daddy trusted him to be able to use that jutsu in the right situations."

Minato's eyes widened. He suddenly realized what this was all about. It didn't matter that Sasuke-kun _hadn't_ used the Great Fireball technique as it was intended—all that mattered was that Fugaku thought that he would.

"Oh Naruto," Minato said gently, kneeling down by his son and putting two ghostly hands on his shoulders. "Do you think I would have taught you everything that you already know if I didn't trust you?"

"But those don't have the potential to hurt someone," Naruto said in a small voice.

Minato only grinned in reply, "And you're saying that your little kunai trick doesn't have the potential to hurt anyone?"

Naruto blushed, fiddling nervously, "Ummm…."

Minato laughed, "Don't worry, I know about your little kunai shows for the Academy students. It's alright. I approve of those because I know you're fully… in control…"

He trailed off at the last words. If there were any way to show how hypocritical he'd been, that would have been it.

"So," Minato continued, his voice soft, "we'll just make sure you know the jutsus I'm going to teach you inside and out before showing them to anybody, alright?"

Naruto's head snapped up, his mouth falling half open, "B—but! What if I hurt someone?"

Minato smiled at the gesture, giving his son's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "You're right, maybe I had as much faith in you as I should have. Today happened because you weren't fully trained, I realize that now. I trust it won't happen again?"

Naruto hastily shook his head. He swallowed, "I… I don't really think that you don't trust me, Daddy. I know—I know that I'm allowed to do a ton of stuff other kids can't even dream of. I never thought…"

He didn't finish, but Minato didn't think that he needed to.

"It's understandable," Minato said gently. "Everyone has their bad days. You were just a little frustrated and so you used the words that you knew would hurt me most, right?"

Shamefully, Naruto nodded.

"That's not a bad trait for a shinobi to have, Naru-chan. To be able to use that against your enemies, or even your friends in a time where they need a kick in the ass is a great ability. Just be sure not to abuse it alright? Words can hurt quite a bit."

"I'll never do it again," Naruto said firmly, "This is really awful. I don't want make observations just to hurt people.

Minato smiled sadly, "Naru-chan, that's not a promise you can keep. There are a lot of things we say in the heat of anger that we later regret. Just remember this moment alright? Never be too proud to apologize. You'll find more often than not that this will be enough."

Naruto nodded, taking a deep breath and steeling himself as he fixed determined blue eyes on Minato, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Minato whispered, before straightening with a grin, "Now, those jutsus? I think that one of every element would cover it, hmm?"

* * *

><p><strong>Super Hero<strong>

…**and six months (Bathroom)**

Stitched up crest, nifty gadgets, and a flowing orange cape. He was ready.

Naruto greeted the mirror in front of him with an intense look. His reflection stared back at him with undeniable intimidation, and Naruto couldn't help but let out a grin. He threw his hands up, and twirled in a happy circle, "Dun na nan nan nan na, na na!"

Staring at him with an amused expression on his face was Daddy. He was seated on the cover of the toilet, and had been helping Naruto with his preparations.

"What was it that you were again?" Minato asked teasingly.

"I'm Super Shinobi of course!" Naruto beamed, whirling to face his father with a brilliant smile, "I'm not only the bestest shinobi in the world, but I also have super powers of negotiating and keeping the peace through words, just like you said!"

Daddy laughed outright at that, and he moved to ruffle Naruto's hair, "I think you're just what Konoha needs."

Naruto nodded seriously at that, and raised his fist in a purposeful gesture, "Let's go!"

And he raced on. Out of his apartment and onto the streets, where there was crime to be stopped.

Kakashi had taken him to see the latest Super Shinobi movie just the other week, and Naruto had become enamored with the caped crusader. He knew immediately that he wanted to help out Konoha just like Mizuka Shuu did with Film Country, and Daddy had agreed with him completely!

They stitched up an outfit and while it probably wouldn't win any awards, Naruto thought it was super cool. Besides, the time spent with his Daddy doing it made all the pricks he'd gotten from the needlework worth it.

Naruto had indeed found out that there was something that Daddy couldn't do. Apparently creating clothing had never been high on Daddy's list of skills to learn, but it was okay because Daddy made up for it with all his other awesome traits.

In the end they'd figured out that creating an outfit from scratch was not even near the same thing as mending a ripped patch, which was something they were both good at. It was admittingly… fun.

And the superhero costume Naruto had gotten at the end of it was awesome!

He was really glad Kakashi had invited him to see that movie.

As if the thoughts of Kakashi had taken Naruto directly to him (and wouldn't that be cool? Naruto would love to be able to read minds like the X Men!), the first pair in trouble Naruto stumbled upon was the silver haired man and… and other superhero.

Naruto skidded to a stop in front of the two, staring wide eyed up at the other clothed in spandex who was arguing with Kakashi fiercely.

"Come cool hip Kakashi!" The other man was shouting, "I challenge you to the most supreme duel of youth!"

"Oh no," Daddy laughed, although Naruto could not tell why.

"For the last time, no," Kakashi said with a roll of his eyes, before turning to Naruto with a faint smile. His mask covered most of his face, but Naruto had long since learned to read his expressions through his eyes and the little stretched on the black cloth. "Hey, Naruto."

"Hi!" Naruto beamed, before fixing the man beside Kakashi with a curious look, "Is this another superhero?"

Kakashi's eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, and then he shuddered in a way that Naruto knew to mean that he was choking down a laugh.

"Uh—no," he said at last, his voice still sounding mirthful, "this is the Green Beast of Konoha, Maito Gai. He's a shinobi of Konoha, even if he doesn't act like it."

Naruto felt his eyes go as round as saucers. _This_ was Maito Gai? And then he cleared his throat, because superheroes were supposed to be on top of everything and not goggle at people no matter what they'd heard.

He was still vaguely disappointed that Maito Gai didn't have eight arms and green goop coming out of his ears like Kakashi's stories had led him to believe.

"I think," Daddy said in a bemused sort of tone, as if he'd read Naruto's thoughts from his face, "that Kakashi at times, exaggerates."

"Well," Naruto coughed, straightening with authority as he attempted to get all this back on track, "what's the problem?"

"Gai," Kakashi said dryly, "will not stop bothering me with demands that I have a spar with him."

"It is the epitome of youthful feeling to have a spar between friends! Hip Kakashi, why will you not see this?!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, and gave Naruto a look that seemed to say 'do you see what I have to work with?'.

"Huh." Naruto furrowed his brows, and struck a thinking pose. And then he snapped his fingers. "I know!"

Kakashi and Gai both stopped and stared at him surprised, looking as if they didn't expect him to come to a solution so early.

Naruto jabbed his finger at Kakashi, "You! Maito Gai is a shinobi of Konoha, and you should respect him as such! He's issued a challenge and you're not doing anything important today. I know it because today is Tuesday and it's on Tuesdays you set aside your whole schedule to read Icha Icha and if you had a mission you would have used that excuse already."

Kakashi flushed a deep red. He opened his mouth to protest, but Naruto wasn't done yet.

"And you!" The little boy cried, swiveling his finger with reckless abandon towards Gai, who just looked shocked. "If someone doesn't feel like doing something, you shouldn't force them! That's basic manners! Kakashi works all the time and it's only Tuesdays that he gets to relax, and don't you get that sometimes somebody might want a break from fighting?"

Gai's mouth dropped open, but he did look a little guilty.

Naruto didn't give them a chance to retaliate. He huffed and crossed his arms, "So. _So_, Kakashi should accept Gai's challenge, but Gai should make sure that the challenge doesn't take too long. It should be something like… rock, paper, scissors. Best three out of five. It's enough for an intellectual challenge of psychological warfare and one of reflexes to see if you can switch your sign at the last second, isn't it?"

They just both stared at him, stunned.

"Well?" Naruto huffed, staring up at them with both brows raised.

"I've been defeated," Kakashi laughed. He turned to Gai with a twinkle in his eye, "How about it Maito? A quick game of rock, paper, scissors."

Gai looked as if he were about to cry. He dropped to his knees, and put both hands on Naruto's shoulders, "YOU ARE THE EPITOME OF YOUTH! IF ONLY ALL IN KONOHA COULD BE LIKE YOU!"

Naruto winced at the volume but smiled nonetheless. The green clad shinobi was sincere and he had to admit he kinda like the praise, even if he didn't really understand it.

With a sniffle Gai stood up, nodding, "How could I not accept such an excellent proposal? Alright Hip Rival Kakashi! I will listen to this wonderful orange creature and use this game of rock, paper, scissors to test my skills against yours! If I should lose I will do 100 laps around Konoha, on my hands!"

Naruto beamed. His work was done.

"And now I'm off to fight the other evildoers of conflict!" Naruto exclaimed proudly before dashing off, waving goodbye to Gai and Kakashi, "Nice to meet you!"

"You did an excellent job Naru-chan," Daddy praised, making Naruto's chest further well up with pride and warmth. "I couldn't have resolved that better myself."

"Is he—?" he heard Maito Gai whisper as he rounded the corner.

"What do you think?" Kakashi murmured back with no small amount of amusement in his voice. "Yes, you've just met _Uzumaki_ Naruto."

The next problem he stumbled across wasn't nearly as easy sadly.

"Wait Naruto," Daddy said as they passed by a sushi bar after Naruto helped an old lady carry home her groceries. "Isn't that your friend over there?"

He pointed and Naruto followed the finger, blue eyes widening as he spotted a familiar green haired boy hyperventilating at the bench of Yaki's Sushi Shop. He was sitting with his arms around himself and his eyes squeezed tightly shut, shivering to himself.

"Yuuta!" Naruto called as he quickly switched destinations and bounded over, sincerely worried for his friend.

Yuuta snapped his neck around at the call of his name. For a moment the other boy's eyes were wild and almost animalistic, but then recognition settled in, "Wha—? Naruto? What are you doing here? What are you _wearing_?"

"It's cool isn't it?" Naruto grinned as he slid into a seat beside Yuuta. "It's my superhero costume, and I was just doing my rounds when I spotted you! Do you want me to make you one too?"

A complicated expression flashed across Yuuta's face, "Ahh, thanks for the offer, but I don't think I can accept. I've already got enough duties as a newly stated shinobi."

A hint of breathlessness had entered his voice at the last words, and it made Naruto frown.

"Yuuta," Naruto prodded, "are you okay?"

"Okay? Okay? Yeah I'm just peachy!" Yuuta said semi-hysterically. "All that's happened is that I've graduated and passed the genin exams and now I'm in a team with Karou and Shirou!"

Naruto nodded. He'd been there for Kaoru, Shirou, and Yuuta's graduation. There had been a lot of hugs and a lot of tears, and overall Naruto thought that it wasn't bad, graduating. The whole day had been really really warm.

"Why's that a bad thing though?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Bad? Bad? Who said it was bad? It's the greatest thing ever! It's what we've always wanted and…" Yuuta trailed off, bowing his head as he pressed his fists to his eyes. "It's just—oh my lord—we've _graduated_. It's not just little games in the forests and playgrounds. It's real life. What if I let everyone down?!"

"You won't!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, "You're super smart!"

But Yuuta just shook his head. "What I've got working for me is my intellect I agree, but even then, I'm nothing special. Look Naruto, you're a genius, so I'm not sure if you'll understand the feelings of a regular guy like me, but I _need_ to be smart. Kaoru and Shirou are pretty bright on their own, but they tend to lack caution, so I need to make up for that. They are my best friends, so I will go to any length for them, even if it means becoming a shinobi. But I'm not really—it's not like I don't make any mistakes, and what if I make a huge one that nobody can recover from?!"

Naruto hummed at the answer, and then he snapped his fingers, "Well that sounds right!"

Now it was Yuuta's turn to stare in surprise, "What?"

"You should become a shinobi to help your friends." The little blond nodded to himself, "Kakashi-niisan told me, 'those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are lower than trash." He giggled, "Since you don't break the rules or abandon your friends, you're the best Yuuta!"

"That's not…" Yuuta began, but a hint of amusement had entered his voice.

Naruto looked to his friend seriously, "Yuuta, I don't know what you think, but I know I think you're super smart. I know Kaoru and Shirou think so too. And we also try super hard, so you're not the only one!"

Yuuta smiled faintly, but looked down. The light glinted off his glasses, making it hard to make out his eyes. But the forlorn tone in his voice told Naruto everything he needed to know. "I know that of course, intellectually. Still, it's hard to believe that I won't let them down."

Naruto pointed his index at the other boy commandingly, "Just talk to Kaoru and Shirou about it okay? Promise me!"

"Alright alright, I promise."

Yuuta as it turned out, had been too nervous to eat despite having sat at the sushi bar for the better part of an hour. So Naruto and Yuuta ended up having lunch together. But duty called, and after lunch Naruto was off to another part of Konoha.

"Naruto," Daddy said when there was nobody else in the vicinity. He had a warm smile on his face, even if his eyes were a little sad, "I'm so proud of you."

Naruto blushed, "You really think I did well?"

"There was no one who could have done better. The real Super Shinobi couldn't have asked for a better understudy."

Naruto exhaled and shook his head, "Super Shinobi wasn't my inspiration."

"Oh?" Daddy asked with a raised brow, "Then who is? The Mutant Merchant?"

Naruto giggled at the answer. That was so silly!

"Nope," Naruto chirped, only to pause as he looked down at his feet, feeling suddenly shy. "It's you!"

Naruto took a breath, and because he was brave and Daddy had taught him to be brave, he looked back up. "Daddy is the greatest hero, and I'm only really able to help people because of who my daddy is."

"Oh Naruto…" Daddy breathed and in a single fluid step, he was by Naruto's side, wrapping his ethereal arms around him. Naruto leaned in to the touch even though there was no material feeling. But, there was intent, and that was all that mattered.

It wasn't what the other kids had, but Naruto knew that he wouldn't trade this for all of the physical hugs in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Uchiha<strong>

…**and seven months (Hokage Office)**

"You're serious?" Hiruzen asked, staring with wide open eyes at the boy that stood in front of him. He was not surprised by much these days, but truthfully, this was the last kind of report which he expected.

Standing across from his desk, ANBU mask still in place, Uchiha Itachi nodded. "Yes Hokage-sama. Madara wishes to take me as he apprentice."

Hiruzen had been warned about Madara, but even he had not expected the man to make a move like this. What was the purpose? He could not understand.

And yet, at the same time, didn't this give them the opportunity that they had been looking for to trap Madara and still the conflict with the Uchiha? Madara couldn't know that Hiruzen had learned about him, and while this could be a trap still, Hiruzen would be a fool not to take this chance.

"You're dismissed," he whispered into the deathly silent room, and with a low 'yes, Hokage-sama', Itachi was gone. He made not a noise as he vacated.

Hiruzen felt his lips twitch into a smile. It was little wonder that Uchiha Madara expressed a desire to take young Itachi under his wing. That boy had the potential to surpass him.

And then his smile disappeared altogether as he thought about what Itachi had come here for in the first place. The information that he'd reported. Madara, the stirrings of a bijuu, Oroichimaru, red clouds on black cloaks…

It was all coming together now, and all of it painted such a grim picture that Hiruzen was afraid for the world should everything be allowed to happen.

Hiruzen sat back, and sighed. Minato had asked to be kept out of Konoha's affairs, but there was no other that Hiruzen could think of that could handle a job like this.

_I am sorry_, the wizen old man thought as he gazed out the window, _It seems that I cannot let go of you quite yet, our dear Yondaime._

* * *

><p>An: I give my thanks to everyone who briefly summarized the Naruto manga for me. I think I stopped reading after Naruto escaped the giant turtle. I literally couldn't bring myself to read further than that, haha. But this Sasuke & Itachi killing Kabuto thing sounds interesting and I might go filing through it for that. And I heard that Neji actually died… o.o

Also, someone mentioned that Kabuto was in ROOT? That actually makes a lot of sense so I went to check that information and… _holy crap_ the wiki page for Kabuto has completely changed from the first time I researched him when I began this fic. There's a huge backstory now that was NOT there before. As such, I've already determined the backstory for my Kabuto and it is nothing alike, so I will say this. I am not someone who would continually go back to edit my chapters to fit in with the manga so consider any information revealed after the giant turtle escape (ch 550ish?) to be mostly irrelevant. I might use some ideas but don't depend on the information.

Therefore, whether or not 'Madara' is Obito (…really Kishimoto?) is something I'll decide when I get there and should not be considered set in stone. Yes it would make great angst material, but Obito as a super villain is just… no. Sorry, I'm sure he's brilliant in his own way, but ultimately I cannot see him going toe to toe with Minato. But like I said, it's a toss in the air for now. If you feel particularly strong about this, feel free to send me a list of reasons/arguments. I'm not unswayable.

p.s. Except Kabuto's background. I'm not changing that. I love a good, complicated backstory as much as the next person, but there's a point where someone, _anyone_, just needs to have a life that can be taken at face value. I swear it's going to be revealed next that Tenten is actually the granddaughter of the Sage of Six Paths or something similar.

NOTE ON UPDATES: This term is a lot more ridiculously busy than I anticipated, so writing might have to take a backburner. You might have already seen this with how long this chapter has taken, but it's likely that I won't be able to work on _The Daddy Thing_ until summer begins, so the next chapter probably won't be out for a while.


	8. D-Class Mission

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

**Chapter 8**

"_When my father died I… I was glad! Good riddance to a traitor like him!" ~Hatake Kakashi_

~.~

* * *

><p>"…Sandaime?" Minato asked warily.<p>

The tired smile that Minato got in return was far from reassuring.

Ever since the day Minato revealed his existence to the Sandaime, the third Hokage of Konoha had been calling on Naruto and his attachment to help him think of solutions. He didn't do it very often, paying regard to Minato's wish not to be burdened too much with political affairs, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. Usually when Naruto was specifically summoned, it meant nothing good.

"Minato," the wizen de facto leader of Fire Country breathed, "I'm afraid we have a problem. To anyone who can read the mood of the village, it is obvious that the Uchiha will act soon, and unfortunately much of the clans comprising Konoha can read moods much better than most."

Minato nodded slowly, having observed something similar. He also understood what it meant. Since the other clans noticed, then even if the Uchiha did not move soon, they would. And then it would be a game of trying to balance the scales with preparations for 'just in case' and no matter how skilled the Sandaime was at what he did, it'd only be a matter of time before one end tipped too far.

Still, they had already known that. There was no need for the Sandaime to bring it up again.

"And Uchiha Itachi… Itachi has become Madara's apprentice."

"What?!"

"Indeed," the Sandaime said grimly, "but it may also be an opportunity for us. What was your assessment of Madara's skills again?"

Minato grimaced. Sometimes when Naruto was with his friends or sleeping, Minato would take the time to access the training grounds of Konoha and see how well the defenders of the village were progressing.

"Itachi's good…" he began.

"…but not nearly enough to feasibly lure Madara into a trap, is it?" The Sandaime finished with a sigh. He rubbed a hand over his face, "I suppose that is to be expected, considering that you reported him being on par with you."

"I didn't exactly say that he matched me," Minato inserted, "I said that he _appeared_ to match me. Mostly his techniques caught me by surprise, but if the fight had continued, I think I would have been able to figure something out… but you're right, he would probably slaughter anyone who is of less skill than Jiraiya and the others, and I can no longer fight."

"His time/space techniques, was it not?" The Sandaime mused, before his eyes sharpened, "You've figured something out."

"Maybe. I believe the main problem with Madara is his time/space jutsu, and if we could etch some sort of seal around whatever arena we fight him in to restrict that particular technique, we would stand a chance."

"These odds aren't the best," the Sandaime sighed. His lips quirked, "Normally I wouldn't even consider this, but time is short and you're correct in pointing out that we probably won't have a better chance to trap Madara. How quickly can you create a counter seal?"

"Ah, well," Minato rubbed his forehead tiredly, "this whole suggestion was only an idea that popped into my head when you mentioned one of your contacts finding out about Madara's plans. A seal like that… to be honest I'm not sure if I could make. At least, not by the deadline."

"And if Jiraiya were with you? Could you do it then?"

"Maybe. I certainly hope so. We would have to, wouldn't we?"

The Sandaime's lips thinned, "Hinging it on a 'maybe' isn't good enough. You know that, Minato."

"I know," Minato replied grimly. He knew that if he and Jiraiya failed the consequences would be disastrous. Their plan allowed no back up option after all, so if he failed, then the whole Uchiha clan would be in danger. No, the whole of Konoha might be. "But I don't want to misinform you. As much as I would like to be able to create a seal of that proportion within the time until Madara is likely to make a move, I'll be honest and say that I'm not a hundred percent positive that it's within my capabilities. Normally I wouldn't even suggest something as risky as this, but I can see no other option, can you?"

The Sandaime closed his eyes, his smile bitter, "No, you're right, I can't. Even after thinking about this problem for two years, I can't…"

Minato hesitated, his eyes downcast, "I wish… I wish it wasn't an option of either underestimating Madara or overestimating ourselves."

"Well if you can Jiraiya can't do it, who could?" The Sandaime murmured, leaning back against his seat. For a long time neither of them spoke, both too deep in their thoughts. Minato was just about to call it a day when the Sandaime spoke again, his voice so soft it was less than a whisper, "And if you had the help of a seals master even greater than yourself? Could you do it then?"

Minato blinked, not sure that he understood. While he was hardly one to ever underestimate other people, he could say for a fact that there was only one person who was significantly better at seals making than he was. And that was—

"If you had the guidance of an Uzumaki, how much would the chances of you creating a seal of this magnitude on time increase?"

Minato's eyes narrowed, "What are you suggesting?"

His lips thinning into an almost indiscernible line, the Sandaime turned away, "There is still one more secret Minato, which you were not told…"

This wasn't the time for games. If the Sandaime was suggesting what Minato thought he was suggesting, then the old man had a lot of explaining to do. "Sarutobi-san."

The Sandaime sighed, "I feel as if I am breaking confidence, but Konoha might need this and Konoha is our first priority, is it not? Just before the Uzumaki clan was destroyed, there was one clansmember who went into exile. She survived the massacre. She had done a great service for Konoha prior to her exile, and to reward her we have kept her existence a secret as per the promise she extracted from us. She dwells now in the Land of Flowers, which is really only problematic because it shares a border with the Land of Water, though it is nowhere near Kirigakure. I suspect that she expects her secrecy and her own wards to be enough."

Minato sucked in a sharp breath, though the Sandaime could not hear that. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about Kushina, and whether she'd known, but he was still very much aware that his son would hear everything he said. So instead, he just asked about the situation, "Then we send her a summons?"

The Sandaime shook his head, "It is not that simple. The reason I have not mentioned her before is because she will not speak to anyone. Will not deal with anyone. We have all tried, but to no avail. She is no retired shinobi who will reluctantly show for her Hokage. Her people are gone and she owes no allegiance to anybody. She would answer no summons."

"There must be a way."

"There is… one way." Almost guiltily the Sandaime's eyes shifted, purposefully down to Naruto's earnest face. "There is someone else who is still of her people."

Minato went rigid. He understood instantly what the Sandaime was asking.

"You were aiming for this all along, weren't you?" Minato breathed.

"It was not quite that," the Sandaime sighed. "I thought it might come to this, but I had hoped that you would offer some other solution."

"You know what Naruto houses," Minato hissed.

"I'll be frank with you Minato. I think that it's _because_ of what Naruto houses that there hasn't been an incident like the Hyuuga case with him."

Minato jerked back, surprised, "What?"

"Think about it." Something sad entered the Sandaime's eyes, as if he regretted speaking of this, and a moment later, Minato knew why. "To the general public, it seemed even as if the famous Red Habanero lost control of the beast. The other villages are afraid Minato. The Bijuu can only be transferred to children, as you know, and I'm unsure if any of the villages trust one of their shinobi enough to be able to do it. They've seen what destruction the Kyuubi has wrought to Konoha, and they do not want the same to happen to them."

Below him, Naruto stiffened. It was almost imperceptible, yet Minato was able to read it as clear as day from the line of his shoulders.

His eyes softening, because he realized that this must be a hard topic for Naruto, he placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto glanced up, taking his gaze off the Sandaime as he watched his father with wide eyes. Although there was no physical touch, Naruto had developed an extraordinary sensitivity to how Minato moved.

"It's alright Naruto," Minato whispered, this time saying words that were only meant for his son's ears, "I believe in you. You can definitely hold the Kyuubi back."

Even though Kushina couldn't, in the end. It hadn't been her fault of course, but what would happen if something that was not Naruto's fault happened to him, too? Minato had already lost his world once when Kushina had left. He wasn't sure what he could possibly do if he lost Naruto too.

His grip tightened. He was going to make sure that nothing happened to his son.

And then a thought struck him. "Then the censor you put out a year after Naruto's birth…?"

"I won't pretend that there weren't political advantages to it," the Sandaime chuckled, "but that was actually mostly for Naruto's personal benefit."

Minato nodded. He'd guessed as much as soon as the Sandaime had said the words 'lost control'.

"Alright then," Minato said lowly, "I'll concede to that point. But what makes you think that this woman will help out a member of her clan that she's never met before? And remember that this is a clan which exiled her."

The Sandaime only shook his head in reply, "I'm not sure if she'll comply, but it's better than nothing isn't it Minato? There's no drawbacks to her saying 'no'. All that will happen is that Naruto wasted a few weeks of his time."

"There's too much uncertainty. Naruto could be put in danger."

"Such is the life of a shinobi. This will be even safer than regular missions, seeing as nobody will know he's going and he'll have a guard."

"I can't agree with this," Minato said stiffly.

"Would you really put the potential safety of one person above all of this village's?" The Sandaime sighed. "You know that the situation with the Uchiha is not going well, and I'm afraid that if we can't prove Madara's existence…"

Minato closed his eyes. He knew what the Sandaime was going to stay. Still he struggled. This was _his son_. But, this was _Konoha_.

"Naruto," he finally said, his breath coming out as nothing but an exhale, "what do you say to all of this? I know you've been listening so… I will leave this choice up to you. It is not mine to make."

Naruto's eyes went wide, "You're really going to let me decide?"

Minato nodded, "Yes. I trust you."

Naruto took a deep breath. He didn't bother to take time to be abashed and pretend like it wasn't a big deal. His son followed politics, and knew how important this all was. Unfortunately, he was a little too much like his parents for his own good.

"I'll do it," he said with barely a moment of thought, but the steely determination behind his eyes told Minato that it was not just a fly by decision. Naruto simply could not fathom choosing to save himself if he could save the village.

The Sandaime smiled painfully.

"Thank you," he whispered, brown eyes glittering with a sadness that went beyond his years, "Naruto."

And at that moment, Minato thought that he might have hated what being Hokage meant.

* * *

><p>"Who do you think's gonna accompany us?" Naruto whispered as he shifted from foot to foot, eyes flickering every once in a while to the gate and what he thought may lay beyond.<p>

Minato hummed in reply. They were currently in front of the Konoha gates, waiting for the mysterious escort that the Sandaime had set up for them. Practically and politically, there was no way that the Sandaime could let a seven year old with a background like Naruto's to run free without anyone to act as a guard.

Naruto was beyond excited for the trip. He'd gotten up earlier than usual with exclamations that he couldn't sleep, despite the fact that Minato told him he'd need his energy for the day. Then he'd spent the whole morning drilling Minato about the outside world until it was time to rendezvous at the gates, and even then he'd arrived early.

Minato couldn't help but be bemused by his child despite how hard he was taking Naruto's decision. While Minato had told Naruto all about the places outside of Konoha, it seemed as if it wasn't quite the substitute for 'the real thing'.

Although Naruto was aware that there was a reason that they needed to make this journey, he was still instead choosing to view it as something of a vacation. His long since dreamt chance of exploring the world.

Minato let out a defeated laugh. Perhaps it was he who needed to take a page out of his son's notebook and relax a little.

Like the Sandaime had pointed out, any attack on them was actually very unlikely, and though a shinobi had to always prepare for the worst, it did not by any means imply that the worst would always happen.

"It'll probably be someone really high up," Minato said, "someone who's an even better fighter than the dear ANBU-chan that used to be with us."

Minato hoped that he hadn't gotten that shinobi in trouble. He couldn't help but notice them and point them out to his son. It always did garner an amusing reaction. As Naruto grew older, so did his awareness skills, and sometimes the smaller blond was able to pick out the guards following too.

"Will they be as strong as you?" Naruto asked in a low voice of awe.

Minato hummed. Humility and reason warred within him. While he didn't want to teach Naruto bad habits by telling him that there were few who could feasibly beat Namikaze Minato in a fight, he also did not want to give Naruto a mistaken estimate of whoever their guard's strength was. The fact of the matter was that Minato had been Hokage, and that meant something.

Thankfully he was saved from answering by the actual arrival of their guard.

Minato couldn't help but smile wryly as a familiar figure romped into view, his dilemma solved. He thought maybe he should have predicted this. "Yes yes, I'd say that they were at least as strong as me."

Naruto whirled to see who Minato was looking at, only for his blue eyes to widen and a delighted smile to spread across his face. He raced towards their assigned guard, "Jiraiya-jiji!"

"Hey kiddo!" Jiraiya greeted as he caught Naruto in a hug, giving the smaller blond a whirl before setting him down. He ruffled Naruto's hair, before making a huge show of looking around, "Now where's that pops of yours?"

Naruto quickly pointed to Minato, and while Jiraiya couldn't see the elder blond, he did incline his head in greeting.

"Now," Jiraiya said, turning back to Naruto with a wink, "got all your stuff?"

Naruto was practically trembling in excitement, "Yes yes, now let's go!"

And so they went.

It was far from a quiet journey.

Though they were on a deadline, it was not one so serious that they could not afford to relax. They moved quickly but not so at a pace that would have burned Naruto out. Even though Minato and the Sandaime were worried that a confrontation with the Uchiha clan would happen 'soon', they meant soon as in months from now. On a political calendar it was much too early, but for Naruto who was taking a trip that would take a couple of weeks at most, months meant plenty of time.

Naruto was quick to engage Jiraiya in conversation. They talked about where Jiraiya had been last, and how Naruto was doing in school. They even discussed the mission and what each of them thought they would find.

Minato didn't really feel the need to join in, save for the few times Jiraiya specifically asked for 'Naruto's father's' opinion.

Minato was hesitant around his former sensei.

On one hand to Minato he had almost been like a father, and he was appreciative of that fact. If it weren't for Jiraiya, Minato doubted that he would have been able to do half the things he did, let alone have such a wonderful son himself.

On the other hand Jiraiya had specifically promised to take care of Naruto as his godfather, and Minato was heartbroken by the fact that Jiraiya had broken that promise.

He understood that Jiraiya had things to do, and that if the Toad Sage suddenly took an interest in a little blond boy with amazing talent and sealing skills, rumors would fly abound. It would be hard to connect Naruto to Minato, considering that the smaller child took more after his mother and that he hadn't finished growing yet, but the possibility was still there.

Jiraiya's haphazard life might not have been right for a baby, but Minato thought that the least his old sensei could do was to check in on Naru-chan every once in a while. Minato knew for a fact that he had not until the Sandaime had revealed the existence of Minato, and he still did not come around very often. Jiraiya was Naruto's godfather for Pete's Sake!

Still, a part of him _knew_ why his former sensei stayed away. Jiraiya by now had lost nearly everything. Sadly, one did not live to his age and not experience such things. His best friend had turned, his love had abandoned everybody, and all his students had left the world much sooner than he had. The Toad Sage had ample reason to stay away from Konoha.

Hadn't Minato almost made that same choice back on the day when the Kyuubi attacked and nearly left Naruto completely alone? He thanked the stars that he hadn't, but the very fact that it'd taken an actual effort not to allow himself to wholly die was something he was keenly aware of.

Still, he couldn't bring it in himself to forgive Jiraiya completely. His sensei was supposed to be better than that. Minato had long ago stopped seeing Jiraiya as faultless—probably on the very first day, when Jiraiya tripped and brought down a whole row of seats—but he had to admit that when it came to the important things, he'd never thought Jiraiya would falter.

And Naruto was important.

If Jiraiya had done anything to personally offend Minato, he'd have forgiven his sensei in a heartbeat. But this course of action hadn't affected Minato, not really. It was his son who suffered for it.

Minato knew it was stupid. He hadn't even thought to blame the villagers or even Kakashi, and he was finding it hard to forgive Jiraiya? Still, he couldn't deny the feeling, and it made him hesitant.

There was no need to heckle Jiraiya about it. Minato knew that the man felt guilty enough from the look in his eyes—but it was hard to give him complete absolution.

So he couldn't bring himself to say much during the trip.

Soon the sun was on its way to set, and Jiraiya tugged Naruto onto the road, saying that they were about to hit a village soon and they would spend the night there. Naruto promised he would be fine in the forests but Jiraiya was having none of that.

"A seven year old should have a comfortable mattress," Jiraiya lecture, wagging his finger in front of Naruto's nose, "otherwise you won't grow grow _grow_. And then none of the ladies will like you."

That got Naruto more than anything else. "Oh no! I want to grow!"

Minato couldn't help but laugh at that. No matter how he felt towards his former teacher, he had to admit that Jiraiya did have a way about him.

They arrived at the village just as the sun hit the horizon. Jiraiya ordered a quick meal for Naruto to be taken in his room before disappearing himself.

"Where did Jiraiya-jiji go?" Naruto asked his father, knowing better than to take the answers the toad sage gave for that particular exercise any serious consideration.

Minato scratched his head, not entirely sure how to reply. He knew where Jiraiya had gone, but he really didn't want his son to know yet. In the end he decided for a vague rendition of the truth. "Well, as you know, your Jiraiya-jiji is a spy master. He's gone to check on some of his contacts, and then he's going to… well, do some research for his book."

"Oh," Naruto nodded wisely, "he's gone peeping didn't he?"

"You are much too observant," Minato laughed, thinking back to the brothel he had spotted in the village. He really didn't want Naruto to connect those two dots though.

"Then I'm not going to stay up for him," Naruto yawned. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, his voice coming out slurred, "Those books that he's gotten Kakashi-niisan to read are really awful."

Minato smiled softly. Even the normally energetic blond was not used to an entire day of travel.

"Sleep well, Naru-chan," Minato whispered.

And Naruto did.

Minato stayed to watch over his son in case of emergency until Jiraiya came stumbling back in halfway through the night. Deciding that he really didn't want to be here watching his former sensei's dreams, Minato centered in on himself to try to solve the problems with the time/space seals.

And then morning broke and Minato was shaken from his reprieve as Naruto and Jiraiya grabbed a quick breakfast before hitting the road again. Minato had to say that he was somewhat impressed. He'd half expected the toad sage to slack off a bit and spend the whole morning moaning over the hangover he had.

Perhaps, Minato mused, Jiraiya was trying in his own way to be a good role model for Naruto.

Or more likely, Jiraiya did realize how big of a problem Madara actually was.

The second day was quieter than the first. Naruto and Jiraiya had mostly caught up on each other's going ons from the last time they had seen each other, and although both still had funny stories to tell, it was not imperative to share them. Naruto had taken a thoughtful mood for the day, which Minato could tell was because they were finally far away enough from Konoha for Naruto to realize that they were actually travelling. The little blond was taking in everything that he could. Jiraiya was recovering from his hangover.

It was in companionable silence that the two raced through the woods. They stopped for lunch which was a loud affair, because one of the sandwiches reminded Naruto of an Academy problem they had which then reminded Jiraiya of this snobby noble he once escorted. Lunch was an affair of giggles.

When night rolled around Jiraiya was sad to report that they were not near any villages, and they would have to make camp in the woods. Naruto didn't mind, but Minato caught out of the corner of his eye the determined glint in Jiraiya's and knew that the toad sage would make sure it didn't happen again. He couldn't help but wonder if they were going slower than Jiraiya had imaged, or faster.

On the third day they stopped well ahead of the time that they could have. It couldn't have been later than five when they turned the fork down the road to the nearest village instead of continuing on to the Land of Flowers.

Minato might have raised a brow if it weren't for the fact that he recognized the village. It was an establishment at the border of Fire Country, meaning that Jiraiya and Naruto were making good time.

"This place," Jiraiya said to Naruto with drool coming out of his mouth, "has the best teriyaki in all of Fire County."

With a statement like that, it should have been obvious that the first place that they went to was a restaurant in the middle of the village.

It was a nice little establishment. Not the best that Minato had been to, but definitely far better than he was used to. The restaurant was darkly lit, casting a cool and mysterious atmosphere around the place. The seats were ones of red velvet and the tables transparent. All in all, it had a very classy feel to it.

Minato couldn't help but smile wryly as Jiraiya ordered a table for himself and Naruto. Anyone who knew Jiraiya knew that this type of place didn't suit his character. Anyone who knew Jiraiya deeply knew that this type of place was exactly in his character.

Although the old man didn't show it, he was truly a romantic at heart. He was crass and he was crude, but he could be subtle and sentimental too.

Naruto and Jiraiya seated themselves by the window. Naruto was looking around, eyes wide with wonder as he took in the scene around him. When the waitress came around Jiraiya did the ordering. Naruto was too flustered to choose which type of food he wanted.

Naruto spent the time pre-meal rather quiet, choosing to take in the scene rather than comment on it. It was just as well, since Jiraiya spent much of it leering at passing waitresses.

"What do you think of the place Naruto?" Minato asked curiously, wondering about the rather pensive mood that had fallen over the smaller blond. While Naruto did like to think, he much rather preferred to act.

"It's just really nice," Naruto said shyly. "I've never been to a place like this back home. And nobody here—or in that other village—gives me cold glares."

Minato stilled at the confession, not having expected something like that.

"Right," he said weakly, before pulling out a smile, "you know Naru-chan, one day the villagers of Konoha will be petitioning you to visit their restaurants."

Minato felt a tinge of guilt. He hadn't even realized that Naruto might have wanted to eat at one of these places. Now that he thought about it however, he did recall that Naruto had looked longingly at restaurants like this years ago. He hadn't done it for a long time though, and so the thought had slipped from Minato's mind.

But it was more than likely that Naruto had simply stopped bothering about it because he thought he'd never get the chance.

Naruto giggled at the answer, "That's really silly. But I know it'll get better one day Daddy. I'm determined to make it so, right?"

Minato nodded, his smile growing wider.

"Eh eh, what's that?" Jiraiya interrupted, leaning over the table to peer at Naruto. He'd been caught up in ogling a nearby redhead, but it was evident from the serious look in his eyes that he'd caught Naruto's comment. He grinned widely, "Hey if you like this place kiddo, we can visit lots like it. There's so much of the world to see."

Naruto shook his head. He'd never quite looked sad during the whole exchange, but there was a contentedness now that hadn't been there before. "One is enough. It's just… nice to know, you know?"

Something akin to understanding passed before Jiraiya's eyes, and with a sigh, the toad sage reached across the table and squeezed Naruto's hand. His voice softened a little, "I know kid, I know."

And then merriment was back as he snatched his hand back and took a large bite out of his teriyaki piece, "But –moofh- you gotta admit, this food is to die for."

They did talk about the food for a little while longer, and it somehow turned into a conversation to see who could describe the cooking the best. Minato even found himself salivating at some of the description and had to groan at the fact that he couldn't actually eat any of it. Some of the other guests caught on to what they were doing and stopped their own conversations to look on with varying degrees of amusement.

Eventually their competition drew the attention of the red haired woman who Jiraiya had been staring at before. It turned out she wasn't a waitress at all.

"Maybe I should hire you two to write pamphlets for my restaurant," the redhead told them, bemused.

Jiraiya looked the woman up and down, a lecherous grin on his face, "Oh anything for you, Miss Fire Country."

The redhead let out a laugh, just as Naruto pulled a face.

"Ugh," the blond said, "Jiraiya-jiji is flirting again. Sorry Miss, he won't be able to write anything clever for your pamphlet like this. He goes completely brain dead around beautiful women."

"Brat!" Jiraiya yelled, just as the redhead laughed louder.

"Did you just call me beautiful?" The redhead asked with a wink at Naruto, "I'm very flattered." Turning to Jiraiya she shook her head, "Your grandson is really cute."

"Gr—grandson?" Jiraiya spluttered, "Are you calling this fine catch and worthy piece of flesh too old for your tastes?" He lifted an arm dramatically and wailed, "I'm not what I used to be!"

Minato facepalmed. He was embarrassed for his sensei.

The redhead apparently, loved the show. She couldn't stop laughing, "Oh—oh my, you two are a riot. Akemi-san! Drinks for these two gentlemen please, on the house." Shaking her head, the red haired woman grinned at the two, "Now I'm afraid I have to go, but do come back." With one final wink, the redhead turned and strutted back to the kitchens.

Jiriaya just stared after her, mouth agape. Finally, he snapped it shut, "I think I'm in love."

"You wouldn't be the first," a new dark haired waitress said with a weak smile as she manoeuvred over to their table. From the fact that she began to set down two drinks which Jiraiya and Naruto didn't order, Minato could assume her to be Akemi.

Jiraiya leered at her, "Well, I could easily change the object of my affections."

She faltered slightly.

Jiraiya let out a rambunctious laugh. He shook his head, "Kidding, kidding. Look I'm not going to force myself on people who don't want this type of attention."

Akemi gave Jiraiya a watery smile, "You're a lot kinder than most."

And then, she promptly burst into tears.

The three shinobi froze, none of them knowing quite what to do.

"Woah woah," the red haired woman from earlier said angrily as she seemingly appeared from nowhere and strode towards them, "I might have thought you were funny but if you're bullying Akemi-san here I won't stand for it."

"N—no Mayako-san," Akemi hiccupped, "it had nothing to do with them. I'm just… I'm just not dealing well with what happened. I'm sorry I've been screwing everything up. May—maybe I should take the day off."

Mayako's eyes softened, and she patted Akemi gently, "Alright, if you think that you need it. Don't force yourself to come back, alright?"

Akemi shook her head, muttering a soft 'thank you' before hurrying off.

The three shinobi just stared after her in shock.

"What just happened?" Jiraiya blurted out, bug eyed.

The red haired woman let out a sigh, "You'll have to forgive Akemi-san. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions too. It's just, recently her eighteen year old son has run away, and she isn't taking it well. She's even convinced herself that he's gotten kidnapped, poor thing."

"How do you know he isn't?" Naruto piped in. At the confused looks he got, he added, "Kidnapped, I mean."

"Oh," Mayako raised a brow, probably curious about the fact that a seven year old asked her. Nevertheless, she answered him, which Minato was thankful for. "Well, he left her a note. Also, he's taken his clothes and a good chunk of their money. The whole thing's been investigated, and there's no signs of forced movement at all."

"It's sad," Jiraiya sighed, "I have no idea how a child could just leave such a good mother like that. It's disgraceful."

Mayako grimaced, running a hand through her hair, "It really is. I don't know what that Tomu is doing. He's always been a problematic child."

Naruto had a funny look on his face, and if Minato knew his son, he knew that the seven year old found something about the whole situation very disagreeable.

"Hey Nee-chan," Naruto said suddenly, "is it okay if I go to the washroom?"

Mayako nodded her consent and pointed Naruto to the stalls. Naruto nodded and hopped off his seat, making a beeline for the bathroom. Curious, Minato followed his son, and he noticed Jiraiya send a suspicious look after them too. But Jiraiya didn't follow. Not only would that have been supremely uncool, but if there was one thing Minato could count on, it was that Jiraiya wouldn't leave a beautiful woman if he could help it.

Naruto had almost made it to the door when he glanced back at their table. Jiraiya and Mayako were engaged fully in conversation. Minato knew that Jiraiya was nonetheless aware of Naruto's movements, but as long as the toad sage did not act on it, it would all be the same to Naruto.

Seeing that they were occupied, Naruto ducked behind some nearby tables and moved nimbly towards another door. It took Minato only a second to see that he was aiming for the exit.

"I know you know better than to try and get rid of Jiraiya-sensei," Minato said lowly as he floated after his son. Technically he didn't need to speak quietly, since only Naruto could hear him, but somehow it seemed to suit the situation.

"I do know," Naruto whispered back, "and I also know he knows where I am. Still, I need to make sure…"

"I get it," Minato smiled gently. He had a feeling he knew what Naruto wanted. His son had a heart of gold.

Naruto snuck out the door in seemingly no time at all. And then he doubled back to the rear end of the restaurant and caught Akemi halfway down the street on her way home. Naruto had correctly predicted that she would exit through the back.

"Akemi-san!" Naruto called out, waving his arms in the air to gain attention. Surprised Akemi turned back. A brief little smile of victory flashed across Naruto's face before he bounced over to her, "Hi! I just wanted to see if you were alright."

Something of a fond smile made its way across the dark haired woman's lips, even if sadness still rang clear in her eyes. She turned back completely, crouching so that she was Naruto's level, "Yes yes I'm fine, thank you. Thank you hmm, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," the smaller blond grinned in response, holding out a hand to shake.

The waitress took Naruto's hand, "Nagano Akemi, and I'm terribly sorry for what happened back at the restaurant. I didn't mean to break down like that. I hope I didn't scare you?"

Naruto shook his head, "It's okay. Mayako-san explained to us what happened. I think I'd be crying all the time if someone important to me disappeared."

The smile on Akemi's face faded somewhat as she gave Naruto's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go, "I hope that it never happens to you."

"You're so nice!" Naruto exclaimed, "And I think you would be a really good mom. I don't think Tomu-san would run away from you either."

Akemi looked momentarily startled by the declaration before she nodded, "Thank you Naruto-chan. That means a lot to me."

"I don't understand why nobody else seems to think so," Naruto frowned.

Minato stared.

He'd thought, back when Naruto had first manoeuvred around Jiraiya, that the younger blond was looking to comfort Nagano Akemi. Now though, he had a very bad feeling that his son had been planning something entirely different the whole time.

"Well, there's just no evidence for it," Akemi smiled weakly. "It's just that I know Tomu. He's not the type of boy to do that sort of thing. And his note was just so sad… it's mother's intuition you know?"

"Why haven't you hired any shinobi to find out what really happened?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I don't have the money," Akemi sighed, "and because the village thinks that he left of his own accord, they won't help me."

"That's terrible," Naruto said softly, looking to the ground.

Akemi let out a forced little laugh and reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Tomu-chan will come back soon, I know it. You're such a sweet child. I think it's time to get back to your grandfather though, don't you?"

Almost without warning Akemi stood, and with one last pat for Naruto's head, she turned and stalked away.

It might have almost been rude, had Minato not known that she was just barely holding back her sobs.

It was kind in her own way. The woman evidently did not want to worry a seven year old with her problems. Minato's heart went out to her. Unfortunately, Minato could also see where his son's thought process was leading, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

"You know," Minato said with a sigh when the woman turned the corner and out of sight. "This Tomu likely did run away."

"I don't understand why he would," Naruto replied stubbornly, crossing his arms. The expression on his face was one of sheer determination.

Minato hesitated. The fact of the matter was, the world wasn't very good. Very rarely were there tight knit families who would die for each other and never make any mistakes. He liked Akemi, he really did, but he also acknowledged that he'd heard her talk for all of fifteen minutes. He might have had a general idea of her character, but he really had no idea how she was all the time.

All evidence pointed to Tomu running away, and while there was the slight possibility that everyone had missed something, that was all it was—slight. It was much more likely that the child had some family problems or other problems unknown and had gone into the wind. Perhaps he would come back, perhaps not, but either way cases like this happened all the time.

Still, he found that he couldn't tell Naruto any of that.

_He's only seven,_ Minato told himself, _there's really no need to make him cynical about the world._

It was just then that Jiraiya stepped into the back.

Naruto barely had time to turn before Jiraiya picked him up by the back of his collar and dangled him above the ground, "Alright kiddo, I've given you some time. Why're you still back here? I have a gorgeous redhead to get back to, and you've yet to finish your dinner. That's bad manners you know."

"What, she's still talking to you?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Brat!"

Naruto huffed as he was dropped back to the ground, before turning to Jiraiya with a serious look.

"Ohhh no. Oh no oh no, don't take that tone with me. The last time you looked at me like that I ended up spending an entire book's worth of money on a stupid frog purse."

"It wasn't my fault you turned out to be so bad at the claw machines," Naruto retorted, sticking out his tongue. "Look, about Akemi-san…"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, "No."

"What do you mean 'no'? You don't even know what I was going to ask yet!"

"Sure I do," Jiraiya drawled, "you're not half as hard to read as you seem to think, kid. You want to investigate whether this Tomu character really ran away or was kidnapped. We're not doing that. He ran away. Case closed."

"There's absolutely no reason for him to. He's eighteen, that's legal age for a civilian isn't it? Why would he have to run? He had to have a decent relationship with his mother at least. Why'd he leave without telling her properly?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Who knows what goes on in a teenager's head? Mayako-chan even said that he was a problematic child."

"_I'm_ a problematic child," Naruto shot back.

And Minato suddenly understood what this was about.

"No, you're not," Jiraiya argued. "You're like, the best kid anyone could have. It's just because of certain external circumstances that some people might view you badly."

"And how do we know it's not the same case with Tomu?"

It wasn't about Akemi at all, unlike what Minato had initially thought. He was sure that it did register for Naruto to help the mother that was in pain, but in the end the reason Naruto was being so stubborn about this was because of Tomu. He wanted to argue for a case that everybody had given up on.

"We just—" Jiraiya spluttered, "Argh! Kid you're driving me insane."

"Look look," Naruto said generously, "I know that our mission is important, but all of you said that we can take our time right? Checking this thing out will take three days tops. If we don't find anything within that time frame we can just leave. Alright?"

"And what if this does turn out to be something after all? What if you end up getting hurt?"

"Well that's all the more reason to help out isn't it? We can't just leave some innocent person in danger! And now you're just grasping at straws, because what are the chances that this actually will turn into something perilous? Besides…" Naruto's gaze turned sly, "…you're not seriously suggesting that one of Legendary Three Ninja can't protect a little kid."

There was a moment of silence.

"Fine, fine already," Jiraiya sighed, though Minato could tell that he wasn't really trying to fight it. "You win. Three days and then we hit the road, got it?"

It was a much easier agreement than Jiraiya could have made it, but Minato could see why he wasn't really fighting Naruto on it. Like Naruto said, they weren't on a strict timeline, and if Minato knew his former sensei, then Jiraiya had planned to take Naruto the long way 'round for a joyride anyhow. This would just be a bit different from how the trip was initially imagined to go, but this was what Naruto wanted and Jiraiya was taking that into account.

"You old geezer," Minato muttered under his breath. "Looks like I really can't stay mad at you for long."

How could he, when Naruto's joyous cry of triumph blazed down the streets?

* * *

><p>An: I really do like the nickname 'Ero-sennin', but I don't realistically see this Naruto being so disrespectful. Unfortunately sheer cuteness cannot last forever, but I hope seven chapters of it were enough, lol.


	9. Kuman Village

A/n: Ugh wow, I've found out that I hate writing mission chapters. Any unrealistic situation you might find in this chapter is purely due to me not wanting to waste any more time. Also I'd like to apologize to anyone who's **PM**ed me and hasn't gotten a reply. Was just cleaning out my inbox earlier this week and I realized I had a lot of unread messages from fanfiction. I'm terrible at replying to stuff, and my friends even know that I can't be depended on with texts and emails, so if you really want an answer to something, just spam me.

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"_Surprises. Yay. I hate them." ~Sasgawa Akane, Team Jiraiya_

* * *

><p>"Oi oi, Jiraiya-jiji, rise and shine! It's time for breakfast!"<p>

"Hmm, five more minutes honey-bear. And then we can continue. Just five…"

Muttering sleepily, the great shinobi Jiraiya turned over in his slumber and was out again.

Sitting on top of the unconscious mess was Naruto, a frown on his face and his arms crossed. For the past ten minutes he'd tried nearly everything to wake up the sleeping sage, but Jiraiya was determined not to get out of bed. Even shaking him and yelling in his ear didn't appear to get the job done.

With a sigh Naruto turned to look out the window. The blinds were drawn back, allowing the beaming rays of sunlight to shine into the room and give it light. It also afforded Naruto a view of the streets just beyond their room. They were hustling and bustling with activity, with the day having already long been started.

"You have to be the only one who's not awake," Naruto muttered, giving the legendary toad sage an exasperated look.

When Naruto had first woken two hours ago, he'd done nothing but put on his day wear and open the blinds, and then settle down to read some. He acknowledged that Jiraiya might be tired and so let the old man sleep, but after two hours even the sloths should have woken!

The fact of the matter was, although Naruto did like reading, he was a person of action.

He was getting antsy just sitting in their room.

Naruto wasn't stupid. They were in an out of the village mission and while Naruto was the best in the Academy, he knew he couldn't compare to real shinobi. That had been dreadfully proven every time he sparred with Kabuto.

He also knew that he was valuable, in a really creepy way. But he accepted that. He was the Jinchuuriki of Konoha, and for this mission, he was the last Uzumaki.

He had mixed feelings about that status.

It wasn't like he hadn't suspected something along those lines before. After all, nobody had come for him in the orphanage. When he was younger he hadn't thought anything of it because he had Daddy, but when he'd started school and _really_ learned about grandparents and the like, he had to wonder if he had some.

The thoughts never stayed in his head for long, because if they weren't there they weren't there, but it wasn't until that discussion with the Sandaime that it really hit home. _He was one of the last._

The thought sent an unpleasant tingle through his body.

He'd never really identified with the Uzumaki's, despite taking their last name. He'd always thought of himself as a Namikaze. It was his dad that brought him up after all and it was his dad that he wanted to please. The only thing he knew about the Uzumakis was that they were super good at sealing which he had average feelings about and the occasional details Daddy would let slip about his mom.

So yeah, the last Uzumaki thing felt a little distant, and didn't feel soul crushing. Sometimes he did feel weird about it but Daddy was always there and then the lonely feeling went away, so Naruto figured that was OK.

So anywho, a mixture of this and a mixture of that meant that he was valuable to Konoha. So they couldn't lose him. So he couldn't just up and leave without Jiraiya because that might lead to bad consequences.

It was however, supremely frustrating at times.

"You should," Daddy observed, "just douse him."

Naruto's eyes flickered to Minato, who was sitting cross legged on one of the chairs near the window. The bright sunlight made him seem more transparent than ever, but Naruto was too used to that to even give it any thought.

"Is that really okay?" Naruto frowned doubtfully, turning back to the snoring face of Jiraiya. While he joked a lot with the old man, he'd never really done something like that to an elder.

"He'll act tough," Daddy said with barely suppressed amusement in his voice, "but he won't really mind. Plus, it'll wake him up for sure."

That decided it for Naruto. Putting his hands together in the seals that Daddy taught him, Naruto let out a reduced version of the jutsu, "Water Release: Jet!"

It was a C-class jutsu that was supposed to send a torrent of water the enemy's way, and the more chakra one put into the jutsu, the bigger and faster the torrent would be. Naruto's chakra control was top notch. He just spat out a stream of water directly into Jiraiya's face.

He quickly leapt off the bed before his godfather could retaliate.

Sure enough less than a second after Naruto's feet landed back on the floor Jiraiya's limbs began flailing like a drunkard. And then he shot straight up, sitting with a glare.

"Brat!" Jiraiya yelled, "Was that your spit?!"

The toad sage was dripping wet from head to toe. There was no way that he could go back to sleep now.

"They have Tamagoyaki for breakfast," Naruto said with a grin.

"You've learned," Daddy said with an equally large grin.

They both knew exactly where the toad sage's heart lay.

Jiraiya perked up at that, and without a grumble he flung his sheets aside and stood, "Well what are we waiting for then? Let's go."

After dressing and checking that his hair was alright 'for the ladies', Jiraiya and Naruto made their way to the main hall of the inn that they'd used for the night. It was a well established one which served breakfast and dinner if one wanted to dine there, and while one still had to pay for the foodstuffs, Naruto could see how they sold it. It was a lot more convenient after all.

"Oh hey!" One of the other customers of the inn greeted as Naruto and Jiraiya seated themselves in the dining area, "You two are from the restaurant last night. You were such a riot. Any chance of a repeat performance?"

Naruto grinned at the welcome, "Thanks! And maybe. We're really busy, but we're staying for three days or so, so maybe we'll eat there again. They did have really good food."

"Great great, hope to see you there then," the man chuckled, giving a wave before he went on his way.

"We weren't that funny," Jiraiya grumbled.

"Yeah," Naruto said as the waiter finally came over and delivered their food. His eyes immediately brightened upon seeing his omelette and he was quick to pop one into his mouth. Delicious. "Only you were."

"I don't think we—hey, did you just say _me_ you brat? Come here!"

Needless to say, there was something of a repeat performance after all.

By the end of it Jiraiya was more than ready to get out of that inn, where people were pointing at him and laughing instead of keeling over in awe. Naruto was more than happy to oblige.

"So, we should go to Akemi-san's house first," Naruto directed as he dragged Jiraiya out into the streets.

After Jiraiya had agreed to Naruto's request last night, they'd gone back to the restaurant and finished their meal. Before they left they'd managed to needle Akemi's address from Mayako, and Naruto was planning to visit her home to survey the scene of the crime. It was what Detective Mouse did all the time.

Jiraiya's eyes gained a glassy look, "That raven beauty Akemi. Yes yes, let's go."

"He never changes," Daddy sighed, sounding bemused.

"A good thing too," Naruto quipped quietly, "or else we'd never get him to do anything."

"Oi, I heard that! And I'll have you know…!"

It wasn't a quiet journey to Akemi's house.

The people were used to boisterous streets though, so other than a few curious glances their way, nobody really paid them much attention. Naruto didn't really care either way, but he'd learned to notice these things nonetheless. By now it was second nature to him.

They finally arrived at Akemi's house and Jiraiya pushed Naruto to knock. Daddy stood at the side with his head tilted to one side as if he were listening to something. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the old man but otherwise did not object. After all, he was the one who wanted to investigate.

It was a cozy little house of about average size, with a small yard at the front which was still filled with the flowers of summer. Naruto stepped forward and rapped on the door.

There was no response at first. Naruto and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, and Naruto rapped some more.

"Coming, coming!" Akemi-san's voice rang out, muffled and distorted as it was through the walls. A moment later the door was opened, showing a disheveled Akemi. She blinked at the sight of them. "Naruto-chan, and…?"

"Jiraiya," the toad sage replied with a grin, somehow keeping it just on the side of teasing. It wasn't nearly as creepy as his usual grins.

"Oh, um, hello," Akemi still looked startled by their appearance. "Did I… accidentally take something of yours yesterday?"

"Only my heart—ow! What was that for brat?!"

Having seen where Jiraiya was going with his statement, Naruto had stepped on the old man's foot, which remained unprotected with his opened toed sandals.

He smiled up at Akemi, "Actually, as you can probably see, he's shinobi." Naruto waved his arms at Jiraiya, especially at his head, where his hitai-ate exhibiting the Leaf symbol was proudly displayed. "We heard about your story about Tomu yesterday and thought something was off, and since we're in town, we were wondering if you'd like us to investigate?"

Akemi, who had looked a mixture of fearful and confused, suddenly straightened. Her eyes went wide and her voice gained a desperate note, "Would you really?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes."

She'd moved in an instant. She surged forward, enveloping Jiraiya in a hug, "Thank you so much Shinobi-san." Sniffling, she pulled back and knelt down to Naruto's level, also giving him a hug, "And you too."

Naruto patted her back a little awkwardly. He didn't get hugged by distressed women very often, and he wasn't all too sure what to do around them. Kaoru was a girl too but she was tougher than he was! He'd never seen her say 'ow' let alone get upset.

Looking like she was about to break down crying, Akemi stood again, gesturing for them to follow her, "Well, come in come in. Would either of you like some tea?"

She hurried inside, momentarily leaving the two Konoha citizens by themselves.

"Kiddo, that was the worst delivery ever," Jiraiya said in amusement, "but I guess it got her on board and it got me a hug, so good job."

With that, Jiraiya ran in after Akemi, "Wait up! I'll help!"

For a moment Naruto just stood at the doorway, arms crossed. And then he let up a little, hesitant as he turned to the other blond outside, "Was it really bad?"

"Well, it could have used a little more subtly," Daddy hummed as he turned back to Naruto, "you did really good with that yesterday, by the way. You didn't make her feel badly. However, you were also direct and to the point, and sometimes that is needed. Besides, I think all Nagano-san cares about is her son, and you've promised to do something about it, so that is what matters. Like Jiraiya said, good job Naruto."

Naruto grinned, reassured, and he too quickly made his way to into the house, allowing the door to swing shut behind him.

He found Akemi and Jiraiya in the kitchen. Jiraiya was making all sorts of passes at her and, making a face, Daddy floated up to the table, taking a seat along the long stretch of wood and making all sorts of faces at Jiraiya's back.

Naruto couldn't help but giggle.

The two adults turned as one to the seven year old, and Naruto had to clear his throat to pretend like he wanted something.

"Akemi-san," Naruto coughed, "can I ask you some questions about Tomu-san's disappearance?"

"Of course Naruto-chan," Akemi replied rather distractedly, taking some tea leaves from her cupboard and settling it in some decorated mugs.

"What time exactly did you notice that he was gone?"

Akemi's hand tightened on her tea cups, "Oh it was nearly a week ago. Five days I believe. I was working a late shift at the restaurant and came home bone tired. So I didn't check up on him… oh I wish I had… but when I woke up at seven the next day and went to wake him up he was gone. And there was that terrible note on his bed."

"Note?"

"Yes. There was a note on his bed. It said that… it said: _Mother I apologize, but I'm afraid that I must leave. Please do not look for me. I love you ~Tomu._"

Naruto nodded, thinking about the information, "And when was the last time that anyone actually saw him?"

"Well for me, I saw him only that morning before we both departed for work. He was getting into the trade business you see. Wanted to be merchant. Not sure if that's relevant but… anyway, old man Jou says that he saw Tomu rushing back to our house at about six o'clock that night. Nobody saw when he left though."

So that gave the time span in which Tomu was kidnapped thirteen hours. It was a lot.

"So what's missing exactly?" Naruto asked curiously, deciding to try a different track to help find the culprits.

Akemi gave a light shrug in reply, glancing hesitantly at Jiraiya, "His clothes. Some food. Some money."

"And that's all?"

"All that I and Hashimoto-san's team noticed, yes."

Now it was Jiraiya's turn for his interest to be piqued, "Hashimoto-san?"

"Oh! I forgot, you two aren't from Kuman Village. Yes, we were having these bandit problems before. They'd ambush both merchants and travellers and we were thinking of hiring shinobi to deal with the problem when Hashimoto gathered a gang of well trained villagers and became our police force. Well, they aren't shinobi of course, but they've stopped the bandits, and now they help with the other misdeeds of the village too."

Jiraiya was frowning.

Naruto didn't quite understand his godfather's reaction so he turned to his daddy for guidance. Daddy was quick to oblige.

"He doesn't really like the fact that civilians had taken things into their own hands," Daddy explained, lifting a leg and resting his chin against his knee. "And to be honest I'm not really sure about it either. I mean it's nice and all, but they weren't trained for it and shinobi are. Somebody could have gotten seriously hurt."

Naruto 'oh'ed' at the explanation. He thought about it for a moment and had to agree. People who signed up to stop trained bandits probably were ready to die, but they weren't ready to protect the merchants and travellers being attacked. It was shinobi law to give their life to the client if required, but that was not the case for regularly hired people.

Akemi seemed to have picked up on his mood, because she suddenly tensed, "Is that bad for Tomu?"

Jiraiya's face cleared, though Naruto could tell that it was rather forced. The toad sage shook his head, "No, no, not at all. I guess I just didn't like hearing that we shinobi might be out of a job soon, haha. But it's good what you're doing… protecting your own village."

Akemi blushed, "Oh well, it's nothing like that. Most of us don't even know how the selection process for who joins Hashimoto-san's group works, let alone get invited. It's really Hashimoto-san's team that protects the village. And don't worry about running out of jobs! We can only take care of the small things that we wouldn't hire shinobi for anyway, but for the big things we'll still have to rely on Konoha."

"Ahem," Naruto coughed to center the attention again, "hey Akemi-san, is it okay if Jiraiya-jiji and I explore the house a bit to see if we can catch anything that might have been missed?"

Akemi nodded distractedly. Jiraiya shot Naruto a glare but the younger blond didn't care. He grabbed onto Jiraiya's arm and tugged him to the other parts of the house. Daddy slid off the kitchen table and followed after them.

But just as Akemi reported, they could find no red flags.

"There's nothing kiddo," Jiraiya sighed. "Nothing to indicate signs of a struggle. I'd hate to say it, but it really does look like this is an open and shut case of some kid running away, even from as wonderful of a mom as Akemi-chan is."

Naruto frowned. This couldn't be everything. This couldn't be! "No, maybe there might have been signs that we just can't see because we weren't here the night that he disappeared. Maybe Akemi-san moved some stuff or that security team did."

Jiraiya gave Naruto an exasperated look, but nevertheless nodded, "Alright then, let's go check out this security place."

Naruto had a feeling that Jiraiya was only humoring him now. To be completely honest, Naruto wasn't sure if he wasn't humoring himself.

The security place HQ was much flashier than Akemi's humble abode. It was at least three stories and painted a dusky tan that made Naruto think of Suna. There was a huge sign at the front entrance that said 'Hashimoto's Agency'.

It was even fancier inside. There was some sort of elaborate waiting room with a secretary and everything. Naruto had to admit that he hadn't expected that. Back in Konoha, the only places that had a whole reception area was the Hokage's Tower and the food places. Then again, if Hashimoto's Agency was Kuman Village's shinobi headquarters, the organization made sense.

Jiraiya had used his big long unnecessary title to give their appeal more attention, and, that done, he settled for flirting badly with the secretary. Naruto wasn't sure what good flirting looked like, but he could tell that Jiraiya didn't do it, because the secretary looked more creeped out than flattered.

"Can you make sure that I don't flirt bad?" Naruto whispered under his breath, his eyes flickering up to Daddy.

Daddy choked on thin air. He coughed for a full ten seconds before looking down at Naruto wide eyed, "Uh… don't worry Naru-chan, it's mostly just people like Jiraiya who're ever in danger of talking like that." He smiled warmly, "Besides, you always consider the feelings of others right? Just continue to do so and you're in no danger."

They didn't wait long before Hashimoto indeed came out to greet them.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin," he said in surprise as he came up to them after a bow, "I have to say that I did not expect you here. Welcome to my humble little agency."

Jiraiya looked like he was having a hard time fighting off his pleasure at being recognized. He gave a stiff nod in reply, "Yeah well, it's a nice place you've got here. Sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly. We're on a case that your agency happened to play a little role in, so we just want to ask some questions and then we'll be out of your hair."

"Jiraiya manipulation 101," Daddy chuckled. "Watch carefully Naru-chan. Although Jiraiya-sensei doesn't often pull out the charm for the ladies, he does have it."

"Oh," Hashimoto looked startled by the request, "well certainly. Anything I can do to help. Come, let's have this conversation in my office."

Hashimoto's office turned out to be on the third floor. It was probably the biggest room in the house and had an amazing view of the village, reminding Naruto fondly of his own apartment. For a second Naruto felt a pang of homesickness. He wanted to see how Kabuto, Kakashi-niisan, and the others were doing.

He knew it was silly. All of his friends were shinobi now and they often had missions if not training sessions. They weren't to be found all the time, even if they did make time for Naruto. And besides that, it'd only been four days since he'd left Konoha, and wasn't travelling something that he always wanted to do?

Still he did experience the sting of longing for the coziness of his apartment before the feeling receded once again.

Unlike Naruto's apartment however Hashimoto's was decorated with lots of exotic furniture and figurines. He had a table in the center of the room that vaguely resembled a bear. A chair that was obviously meant to be his was on one side. Two chairs that looked like swan wings were on the other. Naruto and Jiraiya took the seats, and Daddy as always found his place at the edge of the table.

"I had no idea that you had a grandson?" Hashimoto asked curiously as he glanced at Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head, wondering why the man was bothering to take notice now. When he hadn't back in the parlour, Naruto had assumed him to be the type to ignore the children. Then again, given Jiraiya's reputation, it was entirely possible that Hashimoto had just thought that Naruto had been there with somebody else.

"Oh no," Jiraiya grinned, "no information gathering from you! But if you must know, I'm taking care of him for some friends of mine."

"Ahh, generous as well as powerful, I'll keep that in mind."

Jiraiya barked out a laugh.

"Well, as much as I would like to continue on this vein of conversation…" Jiraiya trailed off with a wink, and then suddenly turned serious, "The case we're looking into is the Tomu Disappearance Mystery. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Hashimoto's smile instantly disappeared. "Ah yes, the Nagano misfortune. I don't understand how Tomu-kun could have done this to Akemi-san… well, I'll tell you all that I know, but I was there myself and I can't say there's really anything that points to something besides a straight up runaway."

True to his word, Hashimoto's information didn't sound like it could have been a kidnapping at all. It was basically everything they heard from Akemi, although some things were in a little more detail.

Naruto slumped in his seat. Detective work was a lot harder than he had thought. "Is there really nothing else at all?"

Hashimoto shook his head sadly, "I'm afraid not."

"Well then," Jiraiya said with a sigh as he stood up again, "I'll thank you for your time."

"Not at all. I hope that I helped."

They exchanged goodbyes and Hashimoto showed them out of his office. The man himself went back in to continue the work that he had left off when he'd come to greet Jiraiya and Naruto, leaving the two make their way back to the reception area by themselves.

"I can't say I like what the man has set up," Jiraiya commented as they walked through the exit, "but Hashimoto himself? Not bad."

Naruto nodded up at Jiraiya, not really looking where he was going. He was always aware of his surroundings, but due to the fact that he was walking out of a door in which there was nothing to indicate what was on the other side, Naruto didn't see it coming.

He stepped out of the doorway only for someone to crash into him, having come from his blindspot. Naruto only swayed, his chakra automatically redirecting itself to keep his balance. The other person wasn't so lucky.

The man who bumped into him literally tripped over the smaller blond, arms pin wheeling as his face met dirt.

"Oww," the man moaned.

Naruto stared at the man wide eyed, before quickly rushing to his side, "I'm so sorry! Sir are you alright?"

"Y—yeah fine," the man laughed weakly, pushing himself to a sitting position. He shook his head, as if to clear it of any dizziness, "I'm… uh, no need to apologize, that was my fault. Thank goodness you're okay though."

He moved to stand, only to let out a gasp of pain as his right leg wobbled underneath him. His body folded, but Jiraiya was quicker and caught him before he fell.

"Be grateful kiddo," Jiraiya grunted at Naruto, "these beautiful arms aren't for catching men, but since you're the one who hurt him, I'll make this one exception."

"Thanks," the man said in a genuinely grateful voice, "but honestly it's not the child's fault, so please don't blame him. Kido Tsuchie by the way. I wasn't looking where I was going and I know that this door doesn't really give the right side much of a view. I've talked to Hashimoto-san about it even. And this leg injury definitely did not come from him. It's just aggravated a little. But I got this because of the bandits."

Naruto and Jiraiya both tensed.

"Bandits…?" Jiraiya asked apprehensively.

"Yeah," Tsuchie replied as he tested his leg out with a wince. It held this time though, so he pushed off Jiraiya's support. "Kuman Village has a bandit problem. Can tell at first glance that you're travellers."

"We've heard about the bandit problem," Jiraiya said lowly, "but I thought it was taken care of by Hashimoto's Agency? Your leg wound looks fresh."

Tsuchie just looked at Jiraiya, confused.

"What he means," Naruto piped up, "is that from what everyone was said, it sounded like the bandits were gotten rid of ages ago. So how can you have recently been injured by them?"

Light dawned behind Tsuchie's eyes and a look of understanding crossed his face, "Oh! You thought we—no! We haven't gotten _rid_ of the bandits. They're still around. We just make sure that they don't succeed in actually robbing anyone. We intercept them nearly every time they make a move. The merchants from the other cities tell Hashimoto-san when they'll be coming so that we can always go out and greet them and when the bandits come we can fight them back. My injury is from our most recent skirmish."

His chest was puffed up in pride, but Naruto could tell from the tension radiating from Daddy and Jiraiya that something was Not Good.

"You mean you haven't gotten rid of them?" Jiraiya demanded sharply.

Tsuchie grimaced, though he still didn't look like he noticed the mood, "No, the bandit stronghold is out in the woods, and no one's crazy enough to mount an expedition out there. We just stop them from stealing. We figured that after getting no supplies from this road they'd eventually give up and go someplace else."

"I see," Jiraiya muttered.

Naruto's eyes found Daddy's curiously.

"Hmm, I think I'll let you figure this one out, Naruto," Daddy replied with twinkling eyes.

Naruto huffed, but nodded and turned away, tiling his head upward as he thought. Daddy never gave him problems which he couldn't solve, though it was annoying how if Daddy thought he could solve it, Naruto never got a straight up answer.

"Okay," Naruto began slowly, "I think I've got it. The biggest worry was that the protection agency could hurt themselves and others right? But that was the past and it's all done. Now we've just found out that it's still happening, which means people could still get hurt. Worse, the root of the problem hasn't been taken care of and there's no plan to take care of it in the near future. All of this could be solved by hiring a few shinobi. Pride is making Kuman Village endanger its citizens."

"Excellent Naruto," Daddy smiled.

"What? That's not it at all!" Tsuchie protested, "The ones being put in danger have volunteered for it! We want to protect our own village. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, but if a smith trained in forging wanted to be a baker, that wouldn't make any sense would it?" Naruto asked reasonably. He smiled softly, "Anyway we're not arguing that you're wrong, it's just why we as citizens from a shinobi village don't like this concept. 'Cause you're not trained for espionage and fighting and stuff, so if you miss anything, for the travellers it could turn out dangero…" He trailed off as a thought struck him, and his eyes went wide. He whirled to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-jiji!"

Jiraiya raised a brow, "Yes?"

Naruto took Jiraiya's hand, dragging the toad sage away with a hasty goodbye to Tsuchie. Confused, Tsuchie waved a goodbye back.

"The bandit problem!" Naruto blabbered excitedly, "Unlike us, Tomu _does_ live in this village and he _knows_ that the bandits are still a problem. If Tomu was planning on running away, he had to have considered the bandits right? Especially since he's carrying a lot of money and has no escort because he couldn't tip anyone off that he was going. But he didn't take any weapons."

Jiraiya hummed, looking for a moment like he was considering it, but then he shook his head.

"Maybe the kid just didn't consider it," Jiraiya replied with a shrug. "Or maybe it was just an impulse to up and leave. Either way he wouldn't have brought everything he needed."

Naruto frowned up at Jiraiya. That was true. Still, it was a lead, even if it was a very small one.

"You know what, alright." Jiraiya suddenly said, "We'll check it out. Can't take too long right? Let's get going then."

"Jiraiya-jiji, you're the best!"

"I know kiddo, I know."

First however, they went to get some food. Lunch was a casual affair, and took twice as long as it should have, but by the end of it the both of them were content. Jiraiya asked afterwards if Naruto was sure that he didn't want to spend the rest of the afternoon seeing the sights, but Naruto was adamant on finding Tomu. They headed up to the way that they had come in.

Kuman Village didn't have walls like Konoha, but there was a very distinct sense of when the village ended and the path began. Naruto and Jiraiya started on that path, scrutinizing the forestry in the immediate vicinity for anything out of the ordinary.

They walked until the village was out of sight, and still they saw nothing.

Naruto was stubborn, but even he knew when to quit. The lead hadn't even been a very good one and there were no guarantees on it after all. Just when he was about to call it off however, Jiraiya came to a stop.

The old man was staring at a patch of bushes, eyes narrowed.

Naruto knew that he had found something.

"What is it?" The almost eight year old asked, plodding over to Jiraiya and peering curiously at the patch. His eyes brightened when he saw that it had indeed, been disturbed, and though subtle, was leading a pathway of broken twigs into the forest. "We've found something!"

Jiraiya only frowned, "Something's not right about this. It's made to look like it's a six day old trail, but…" And then suddenly his face cleared and he shook his head, "Oh! So that's how it is. Never mind, never mind, HAHA. Naruto, you're something else."

Naruto shared a confused look with Minato.

Daddy shrugged, not looking the least bit enlightened as he gave Naruto an apologetic look, "I'm not sure what's going on with him either."

"Should we be worried about it?" Naruto asked instead. "The trail I mean."

"Nope! I suspect if we follow this we'll be led right to Tomu. Hmm, you might have something after all with your crazy bandit theory. Let's get going then."

They made haste. Tracking didn't take them very long. Naruto spent a lot of time in the forests after all, and he'd long learned how to pick out worn paths within foliage. Jiraiya was just very old, and very old usually meant very experienced.

Eventually the trail did stop at the mouth of a jutting rock that could have been seen as a cave, and after exchanging a glance, Naruto and Jiraiya slowed. If any place were to be a shelter, this would be it.

But no one was in the cave. There were bags and remnants of a fire in the very back, which told Naruto that someone had recently been there, but there was no sign of a body.

"We're so close," Naruto said in frustration, glaring at the charred remains of the previous night's fireplace as if it were all its fault.

"Not so," Jiraiya grinned. "I'd say that we got it, boy. Sometimes the tasks a shinobi bears requires patience too you know. Look at the bags. If whoever inhabited this cave were not planning to come back, then those wouldn't be here. We wait. Quietly."

Naruto sighed and plopped down in front of one of the protruding stones in the back. He leaned against it and looked up to his Daddy with wide imploring eyes. It wasn't that he didn't understand waiting, but it was _boring_.

Daddy chuckled at the look and floated down to meet him, "How about we play a game while we wait? Use nods and codes to respond mind you. We wouldn't want Jiraiya-sensei to get mad at us for scaring off the prey, would we?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, and they began a game.

They were on the fourth round when Daddy suddenly stopped. He straightened and looked towards the entrance, a faint smile on his face, "Ah, it looks like Tomu-kun is here."

It took only a second for Naruto to snap out of game mode.

"Really?" He exclaimed when he made sense of what his father had said. He followed Daddy's gaze to a tall lanky boy who stood frozen at the mouth of the cave. He had a rabbit hanging limply in his right hand and was gaping at Jiraiya, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that he looked exactly like the photos Akemi had shown them.

And then quite suddenly Tomu turned and sprinted out. But Jiraiya was one step faster. Tomu hadn't made it two steps before Jiraiya was in front of him, blocking his path.

"Hey now," Jiraiya said lightly, "we've been waiting all this time for you. It's quite rude of you to leave so soon, you know."

The back of Tomu's muscles radiated tension as he took a step back. Naruto couldn't see his face, but the wariness was evident enough in his voice, "How… how did you do that? Who are you?"

"He's Jiraiya," Naruto cut in, jumping to his feet. Tomu whirled to him, surprise on his face. Jiraiya looked put out that Naruto decided to answer, to which the shorter blond responded with sticking out his tongue. He had a feeling that if he let Jiraiya take control, the old man would have made it unnecessarily complicated like declaring he was the Super Pervert or something. Naruto didn't mind pranking people, but he wanted to help this family first. "He's a shinobi of Konoha."

Recognition dawned in Tomu's eyes and with a sigh, Jiraiya drew the boy's attention again as he began to explain the situation seriously. There were a lot of suspicion and cutting questions on Tomu's side, but Naruto and Jiraiya managed to assuage them all.

When they finally finished, Tomu looked thoughtful, "So you're helping my mum out of… what? The goodness of your heart?"

"That," Jiraiya sighed, and nodded at Naruto, "and because this kid insisted. Also because shinobi aren't nearly as stingy as your village seems to think. Really, you guys didn't need to make your own bandit-team. Konoha would have been happy to help with the problem even if you couldn't pay."

At that statement, Tomu looked down, chewing his lip, "About that…" He hesitated, looking as if he were struggling with himself before letting out a breath and looking up determinedly. "Can I trust you?"

Naruto and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, before they both nodded.

Tomu fiddled with the edge of his shirt in clear nervousness, but he pushed on regardless. "The reason that I ran away, actually has to do with the security group that Hashimoto assembled. I wonder how much you know, but the security group mostly chases away the bandits and saves the _majority_ of the goods being transported, but not all. Sometimes they arrive late you know, or sometimes they miss a raid entirely. It's only expected after all, since they're human."

Jiraiya inhaled loudly, and Daddy's gaze suddenly intensified. Naruto looked at the both of them confused, wondering what they had heard from Tomu's speech that Naruto apparently hadn't.

"One day while I was…" Tomu coughed, and colored a bit, "…while I was setting up my pranks, I overheard something. I didn't dare believe it, but Hashimoto was working with the leader of the bandits! Hashimoto always made sure that the bandits got away with enough to make a profit and only captured people who weren't important, and in return he got a percentage."

Naruto sucked in a breath, eyes going as wide as saucers. No. No way!

Tomu's voice became quieter still, "At the time I thought… I don't know what I thought, but Hashimoto's ruthless. So I ran. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want my mum to die if she were suspected of knowing. But I found that I couldn't leave Kuman Village entirely, so I just stayed here. My dad taught me how to hunt when I was younger so I've been surviving, and all this time, I've been trying to think of a way to go back. But it's been useless."

"Until today," Jiriaya said with a knowing look in his eyes. "That's why you're telling us all this now, despite the fact that you're obviously scared."

Tomu bobbed his head meekly. "Yeah. I'm hoping—if Konoha is really as nice as you say, then maybe they'd send over a couple of shinobi to deal with it? Could you please send over a message?"

"We'll do one better!" Naruto put forth, "We'll take care of it!"

Jiraiya looked to Naruto sharply, while Tomu looked doubtful. His brown eyes flickered to Jiraiya's hitai-ate which depicted the old man's status as shinobi, but he didn't seem reassured.

"Umm, not to sound rude or anything," Tomu said hesitantly, "but I'm not sure that an old… if one shinobi would be enough."

"He'll be enough," Naruto said confidently. "And I'll help too! Besides, Jiraiya-jiji is—mmphf, phmff!"

Jiraiya moved beside the smaller blond and clamped a hand around his mouth, preventing Naruto from speaking further. Naruto flailed a little to escape the hand, but Jiraiya's grip was like iron.

"I'm sorry," Jiraiya said with a slightly deprecating smile at Tomu, "you know how boys are. Would you mind giving me a minute while I explain to my charge what our situation is here?"

Tomu nodded, a relieved smile on his face and not a hint of suspicion. Jiraiya inclined his head in acknowledgement before dragging Naruto outside the cave to a place well out of earshot. It was there that he finally released the blond.

"What's the big idea?" Naruto demanded as soon as he was free. He wiped his mouth with a sleeve and made a face. Jiraiya's palm was disgusting.

"You can't just go offering my services!"

"Why not? You said we had a three day deadline, so as long as we finish this in the next two days it should be OK shouldn't it?"

"That's not even—" Jiraiya spluttered, before closing his eyes in frustration. "Look, we don't even know how much of the story is true. I mean, we're pretty sure Tomu's telling the truth as he sees it, but he just overheard one night of conversation. It could have been anything! Maybe it was a bluff, who knows."

"But it's not," Naruto said stubbornly, "you know it's more likely for Tomu's conclusion to be the right one. Besides you saw that Hashimoto's office. There's no way he can afford all that stuff regularly!"

"Maybe," Jiraiya sighed, "but in the end, we can't arrest the guy without evidence."

Naruto thought about that for a moment, before allowing a large grin to spread across his face, "Oh well, then that's easy. We just get the evidence."

"Get the…" Jiraiya looked at Naruto askew. "What?"

"The bandits!" Naruto exclaimed, "If we beat up the bandits while Hashimoto's there, then he'll be exposed won't he? If he doesn't help the bandits then the bandits will betray him. If he does help, then we'll know for sure."

"It has holes," Jiraiya winced, before letting out a sigh. "But, I can think of a way to patch those up. Fine, fine, if you're really set on helping this kid, I'll do it."

They were up at the crack of dawn the next day and after a quick breakfast, were out once more. They went as far as they dared along the main path to the village and waited among the trees for passing merchants. The first three days nothing happened, and Naruto just spent a lot of time talking with Daddy or Jiraiya, or practicing the techniques he'd yet to master.

Finally on the fourth day, a caravan passed below the tree that the shinobi trio were stationed in.

"Hey look! Look at that!" Naruto whispered excitedly when he caught a shadow out of the corner of his eye while sticking leaves to various parts of his body and turned to see a merchant cart. The leaves stayed even with his distraction. He just barely restrained himself from jumping up and down in excitement. "Jiraiya-jiji, Daddy, look! Someone!"

Daddy just chuckled in reply, and the amused look in his eyes told Naruto that he'd seen the cart far earlier than Naruto had. Naruto made a face in reply.

"Right then," Jiraiya grinned as he tucked away the book he was reading, "let's follow them and protect the poor folk from the danger they're walking unknowingly into."

Naruto was too keyed up from the thought of finally acting to give Jiraiya a snappy comeback. They hopped from tree to tree, keeping in line with the bumbling caravan while staying well out of both its and any pursuer's sights. They had made it halfway to the village before finally their patience paid off.

Bandits came bursting forth from the bushes. They were well hidden and had obviously lain in wait, further convincing Naruto that they had to have prior knowledge of a caravan incoming. The merchants screamed as the group of outlaws began demanding their loot, and Naruto tensed to jump out to help them, but a hand on his arm steadied him and he turned to see Jiraiya shake his head.

"It's not our purpose, remember?" Jiraiya whispered. "As long as the bandits aren't actively harming the civiies, we can afford to wait a bit."

Naruto blushed, and gave a small nod in reply. It was a little embarrassing because it'd been his plan in the first place really.

Jiraiya smiled at his expression, "It's a bit different learning a tactic from the textbooks and seeing it in action, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed quietly, turning back to fix his gaze on the terrified merchants. "It's true that they don't suffer really in the long run, but right now… right now it just feels wrong not to help them. We have the power."

"_I_ have the power," Jiraiya reminded. "Remember what you promised. You're not to participate. Leave it to me."

Naruto grumbled and nodded. Secretly he had been hoping that Jiraiya would forget. It had been the old man's condition in waiting the bandits out. There had been a long argument in which Naruto had argued that he was more than capable, only to be mowed down by the insistence that real combat was different from training and Jiraiya wouldn't let him engage in it until he was a valid shinobi.

It was then that Kuman's security team finally arrived. A few of the bandits had escaped already, touting sacks of jewels with them as they scurried into the forests. The majority of the bandits still stayed, but Naruto noted with a critical eye that well over half the merchants' valuable were gone.

Kuman's elite engaged, and Jiraiya counted to a full minute before throwing a grin and a short 'wish me luck' at Naruto and jumping down to aid them. Everyone startled in surprise, and Jiraiya certainly too advantage of that.

"Hashimoto-san!" Jiraiya declared loudly, "I am here to help with the bandit problem! But wait! Do you even want my help?"

Jiraiya actually stopped both groups from fighting as they turned to stare in confusion.

Hashimoto cleared his throat, "Well it's true that we in Kuman do not need a shinobi's help. We can handle things ourselves. But if you insist, you may act as you wish."

"Wouldn't I inconvenience you?" Jiraiya asked with a faux concerned voice, "After all… aren't you and the bandits working together?"

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Up in his tree, Naruto couldn't help but beam at the delivery. This was just like a scene from Princess Fuun!

"I didn't think he'd be able to do it," the seven year old whispered excitedly, "but this is perfect!"

Daddy let out a light laugh in reply, "I'm not sure about that, but yes, Jiraiya-sensei is not lacking in the dramatics department."

And then, someone from the security team called out, voice furious, "Hashimoto-san would never do that!"

Jiraiya chuckled, "Oh, but there's no doubt that they're working together."

Hashimoto's eyes narrowed, "Oh?"

Jiraiya gave a toothy grin, and pulled something from his pocket. And then he threw it over to the Hashimoto, who caught it warily. It was a small photograph, the contents of which were too hard to make out from where Naruto was. Hashimoto took one look at it, and paled.

"How…?" The man stuttered, voice on the edge of cracking.

"While Naruto and I were otherwise engaged," Jiraiya responded smugly, "I had one of my frog summons follow you around. And boy, wasn't it surprising to see the head of Kuman's security receiving money from the leader of the bandits? Thankfully I had my summon bring a camera just in case of a situation like that, and it looks like we hit gold."

Naruto saw some of the security team exchange suddenly unsure looks. It was indisputable that Hashimoto had been affected by whatever was on that photo, and if what Jiraiya said was true…

Quite suddenly, a burly, sandy haired member of the security team leapt forward, his eyes dancing wildly, "Hashimoto! Let's take out this old man before he can tell anyone else! Our allies are here and even if he's a shinobi, he can't take on all of us!"

Hashimoto's lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment it looked like he was going to pretend that he had no idea what the sandy haired man was talking about, but something in Jiraiya's hard gaze must have changed his mind, because Hashimoto gave a nod.

It was all, apparently, his group needed. A good fourth of his security team charged forward towards Jiraiya, weapons raised and battle cries in their throats. The rest of the security team seemed to be too confused to do anything. The bandits likewise seemed to catch on to the sudden shift in wind and grinning, dashed towards the old man as well.

Jiraiya smiled. And then, he moved.

Naruto could only stare wide eyed as Jiraiya flowed through the ranks of bandits and corrupt villagers as if they were only pebbles in his path, if even that. Naruto had been prepared for Jiraiya to completely trounce the bandits, but boy he hadn't really known what that had _meant_.

"He's impressive isn't he?" Daddy chuckled, "You'd never suspect that he's past his prime."

"Wow," Naruto breathed in reply. Intellectually he had known that shinobi were often more than they seemed, but how could he have expected the silly acting old man to be capable of laying the majority of the weapon wielding bandits in five minutes flat?

But it was then that Naruto's eyes caught a movement directly below him. There was a bandit creeping out of the forest towards an unsuspecting merchant who'd obviously tried to detach himself from the main battle. Jiraiya was some distance away and surrounded by four bandits and didn't seem to notice. The glint in the bandit's eyes was obvious. He wanted to take a hostage.

Naruto knew he had to act. He silently apologized to Jiraiya for breaking his promise but there wasn't a choice so he thought the old man would forgive him.

Naruto leapt off the branch, crashing into the offending bandit with a flying kick that Kabuto taught him. The bandit staggered and tumbled to the floor, and Naruto used the man's body to kick off and land a few paces from the now unconscious bandit.

Jiraiya seemed to have heard the unnatural noise, because his head snapped over to Naruto's direction and his eyes narrowed in a glare. Naruto smiled sheepishly in reply but didn't have time to do much else as some other bandits also realized that a small child had also joined the fight.

Two of the closest ones charged him, but Naruto was prepared. The first bandit swiped at him with a knife but Naruto had seen it coming. He dropped on one leg and craned his neck to avoid the offending metal and swept out the bandit's legs. Already off balance with his swing, the bandit didn't have a chance of recovery and went crashing into the second bandit just as he arrived on scene.

Chakra channeled through his body like a purring pet, and Naruto directed it with ease.

The small blond didn't waste any time. He slid out of the tangled bodies like an eel and elbowed the backs of both the bandits' heads to put them out for good for this battle. He didn't get a lot more time to admire his handiwork though, because someone seemed to realize that he was a threat.

Naruto had straightened when he heard the telltale whistle of steel through air and whirled just in time to see three knives flying towards him. He hastily angled his body sideways to minimize the target area and twisted to avoid the knives, just as he had practiced with Kabuto. Thing was, Kabuto used dull kunai, and while all the knives did miss Naruto, the slice across his sleeve that one of them left made Naruto's heart give a thud.

"Naruto, concentrate!" Daddy whispered urgently, and that was the kick Naruto needed for his brain to start working again.

He dashed forward towards the knife thrower. The bandit had flung out another one, but this time Naruto was prepared. He dodged it with room to spare and leapt at the bandit to knee him in the face. The bandit had been shuffling around for another throwing knife and didn't have time to react.

The bandit went crashing to the ground, but unlike the others he seemed to have an idea of what to do and rolled with the momentum. He didn't stand but instead swiped at Naruto's legs when the child landed, causing the blond to do an awkward little skip to avoid being sliced.

But that seemed to have been the last of the bandit's fumes, because he finally fell into unconsciousness. Naruto, who had been tensing for further retaliation, felt his muscles relax. The entire reason he'd been caught off guard by the swipe was because the force of his knee, not to mention the fall, should have been enough to knock the man out cold in the first place. He hadn't miscalculated, then.

His relief was short lived however, when suddenly his father gave a cry of 'Naruto!'. The child whirled towards the voice. Something caught the corner of his eyes and he realized in alarm that he'd momentarily forgotten to keep an eye on his surroundings in dealing with the knife throwing bandit. He was a second too slow to raise his arm to fend off the bandit who charged him, but someone else was faster than both he and the thug.

Seconds before the bandit came upon the short blond he suddenly staggered, and fell forward in a graceless motion.

Naruto wasn't one to let go of a chance. He quickly danced out of the way, and this time he didn't make the mistake of freezing despite his surprise at the bandit's unexpected movement. He caught the flash of a kunai embedded deep within the first bandit's back as he rushed towards another of the gang, and he realized that Jiraiya must have saved him.

"Well," Daddy hummed with a note of surprise in his voice and just a hint of laughter. "It seems, Naru-chan, that you have a guardian angel with you on this journey."

"Hm, yeah," was the only think Naruto could say as he flipped over another bandit who tried to engage him and deftly kicked the man on the side of his head, knocking him out.

The entire battle was over in less than ten minutes. The bandits might have had numbers, but few of them were trained fighters, and none of them were shinobi. Jiraiya also managed the majority of them himself.

The only problem really was the security team that obvious wasn't in on Hashimoto's plan. It took them a few moments to collect themselves after their leader's betrayal before rushing into the battle on Jiraiya's side, although they only attacked the bandits. But they confused things, and in the heat of battle Naruto realized what Jiraiya and Daddy meant days earlier when they critiqued the concept of a civilian run team.

When everything was done and Naruto finally had time to catch a breath, he noticed that Jiraiya managed to keep most of the innocent security team from being injured. The blond could only stare with wide eyes, because he really wasn't sure how the Sannin did it on top of taking out the bandits and still managed to come out looking no worse for wear. His respect for old man did go up quite a few notches.

And then Jiraiya turned a sharp glance at Naruto, and Naruto winced.

"What were you _thinking_?" Jiraiya demanded lowly.

"One of the bandits was sneaking up on a civilian and you were too far away so I had to act!" Naruto said in a rush.

"In case you haven't forgotten, right now _you're_ a civilian!"

"But I'm trained! I took out like six of them!"

"Oh and don't get me started on how _you decided to keep going_ after that first blunder! Need I remind you this isn't what you promised? How am I supposed to trust you now, Naruto?!"

"That's not—this isn't—" Naruto took a breath. "That's not fair. There wasn't any reason for me to stay in that tree. If it was for some sort of plan, I'd have listened."

"It doesn't change the fact that you broke your promise."

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Naruto asked in frustration. "Someone might have been hurt if I didn't act."

"You could have called out to me!" Jiraiya said with a glare.

"It would have been too late! The bandit was moving slowly and if I called, he'd have spooked and who knows what would have happened to the merchant?"

"Been taken hostage most like! Even bandits know better than wanton killing. Besides he'd have wanted a way to stop me. It was more like you were just waiting for an excuse to be involved in the battle, Naruto!"

"I wasn't! I—" _was genuinely concerned about that person._ But the words wouldn't come.

He choked on them. Even though he knew that he _had_ been worried about the merchant, he couldn't force the words past his throat.

"_See_?" Jiraiya said with a glare, "You know. Deep down, you realize."

"That's not what this is," Naruto replied stubbornly, matching glare for glare. The post victory euphoria was quickly spiralling into something heavy and gloomy.

Jiraiya's lips were stretched into a thin line, "Isn't it? I don't doubt that you were concerned about that person, but can you honestly say that it was your only motive, or even your most prevalent one?"

"What are you trying to say?" Naruto demanded, "That I'd willingly endanger me and a civilian just to hunt bandits?!"

"You know that's not what I'm saying! I just want to make sure you realize that maybe all your motives aren't what you think they are. You're smarter than that Naruto. You know better than to purposefully ignore parts of yourself just because—"

"_No!_ No I don't know!" He'd never felt more like punching someone in his life, not even when Seito had gloated about his stupid birthday present and the fact that he had parents to give it to him. "I know I'm not an experienced shinobi and I have lots to learn about myself but _you can't say that about people_." Naruto took a breath. "And to think that I _looked_ _up_ to you."

Jiraiya actually looked taken aback by that comment, but Naruto didn't want to hear what else would come from the unjust old geezer. He turned with a swirl of his clothing and stomped off to the other end of the merchant encampment. Jiraiya didn't follow him.

Naruto began to angrily tie up the unconscious bandits that he could get his hands on. They wouldn't be unconscious forever and it'd be troublesome for the villagers if they ran as soon as they woke up. The repeated, lulling motion did eventually calm Naruto somewhat, though he still refused to look back at where Jiraiya was.

Daddy floated lightly down beside the smaller blond. "Naruto—"

"I wasn't wrong!" Naruto interrupted heatedly. "Maybe—maybe the hostage thing would have happened, but maybe it wouldn't have. And yeah now that I think about it, it's more likely that the merchant wouldn't have been harmed, but then my fault lies in not thinking of that at that time! I wasn't wrong to try and protect a civilian!"

"You weren't," Daddy replied gently, "and I can't say that I'm happy with him right now but… he rarely says things without reason and maybe some wisdom can be found in his words, hmm? And try to understand him. He was worried about you."

"I handled myself fine, so he doesn't need to worry," Naruto said stubbornly, though inwardly he couldn't rid himself of the image of that bandit that he had missed.

It had been Jiraiya that had saved him that time wasn't it? Naruto felt his armor of indignation crack just the slightest bit, and he shifted guiltily with the reminder. He'd always gotten along great with Jiraiya-jiji. How had it turned into something like this? But he wasn't wrong, he was sure of it, so Naruto wouldn't be the one apologizing first this time.

"I—I know," he said, looking down at his feet. "I'll think about it."

"I know you'll come to the right conclusion, Naru-chan," Daddy smiled, not a trace of doubt present within his voice. It was all Naruto needed to make him feel better again.

He went back to where Jiraiya and the members of the security group who were not involved with Hashimoto were. Bandits and villagers alike were tied at their feet, with Hashimoto at the center of them.

"I can do one better," Jiraiya was saying to the security team innocent of the thievery. He bit his thumb and summoned a small amphibian, "Sent a shadow clone to the bandits' hideout. A simple transformation and a bit of sabotage goes a long way to take out a bandit stronghold. If you follow Garu here, you'll find a mountain full of unconscious bandits and a lot of jewels."

The security team were in complete awe. Half of them did indeed follow the toad named Garu while the other half took charge of transporting all the bandits back to the village.

"Should we go tell Tomu?" Jiraiya asked Naruto. "I think that his days of hiding in the forest are over."

Naruto recognized the question for what it was. Jiraiya was offering to go with Naruto, and had even thought of giving him the choice of going personally despite the fact that it would have been easily solved with a toad. It was a peace offering.

"Maybe Akemi-san will even give you a kiss for returning her son to her," Naruto quipped in response, hopping back to Jiraiya's side. "It'll probably the only one you'll get for a long time."

Jiraiya's indignant 'oi brat!' restored their balance.

By the time they finally arrived back in the village, word had somehow gotten out that the visiting shinobi took out the entirety of Kuman's bandits. There also was a lot of confused reports concerning Hashimoto, but that Jiraiya was very willing to answer—provided it was a lovely woman asking.

Akemi was beyond thankful to them. She cried a lot though, and though they were tears of happiness or so Daddy said, it still made both Naruto and Jiraiya exceedingly awkward.

"Man, maybe we should leave," Jiraiya complained when they finally escaped to their rooms. "I love being a hero but, Hashimoto's trial won't end for months, and until then we're just going to be hounded with questions. It's giving me a headache."

But there were some that were adamant that they shouldn't. The man at the inn the other day who'd asked if Jiraiya and Naruto would give the villagers a repeat performance for example, had been aghast when he heard their plans.

"No!" He insisted, "You two really must stay. You saved our village! We have to repay you and celebrate."

Naruto bit his lip. He had never had anyone celebrate him before, but he knew he'd already been selfish enough during this trip and delayed Jiraiya quite a bit. He looked to the toad sannin, resigned to leave at first light.

Jiraiya met his eyes. And then he turned back to the man, giving a short nod before a lecherous grin spread across his face, "Well, if you promise no more questions except for valiant regaling of our tale, then sure. There'll be food, drinks, and lovely ladies right?"

The celebrations went on for two days straight. Naruto had never seen anything like it. Jiraiya made as good as his promise and wandered around drunk for the majority of the time. And while the villagers were a little patronizing towards Naruto, it felt unbelievable to be treated as a hero.

When the second day came to a close, Jiraiya revealed that they really had to leave and would be gone by dawn tomorrow. Kuman was sad to see its heroes go, and sent them off with packages of food and gifts as a compromise.

Jiraiya and Naruto set out the next day before the sun even peaked over the horizon. Naruto couldn't say he was happy about that, but Jiraiya was adamant and Naruto knew he owed the old man for staying as long as they did. They packed their things and took to the road again.

They didn't make it very far before running into someone who wasn't fooled by their sudden departure.

Naruto was chattering with Jiraiya as he skipped down the main road when they saw him. Naruto actually stopped as he stared. A tall, lanky figure sat languidly at the side of the road, one leg stretched out lazily and the other pulled loosely to his chest. He had seemed to be regarding them the moment they came into sight, and while it was too dark to make out his face, but his eyes glinted with the sheen of a predator.

"Leaving so soon?" The man asked in a silky voice as he leaned forward and moved to his feet. He swayed towards them, a sharp smile on his face, "Oh, but we haven't got to the best part."

Naruto turned back to Jiraiya, question in his eyes. He didn't recognize the man, so it left Jiraiya as the likely acquaintance. Maybe it was a creditor. Naruto wouldn't put it past the old man to gamble past what he had.

Jiraiya had stilled. His muscles were bunched and far tenser than Naruto had ever seen before. The toad sannin narrowed his eyes when the yellow eyed figure finally stepped into the light.

"_Orochimaru_."


	10. A Mission's End

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"_I don't want much you know. All I needed… was for our family to be together." ~Nohara Rin_

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><p><em>Jiraiya stilled. His muscles bunched and he went far tenser than Naruto had ever seen before. The toad sannin narrowed his eyes when the yellow eyed figure finally stepped into the light.<em>

"_Orochimaru_."

It took a moment for Minato to understand what was going on.

The name that slipped from his former sensei's lips did bring up images and connotations, and Minato noted tightly that Jiraiya was not wrong. The dark haired, pale faced figure who had suddenly appeared in front of them did in fact match what Minato remembered of the snake sannin.

_But Orochimaru._

Children, addicted to an unknown substance and prostrating themselves before him so that they might just get a little bit more. Bodies, piled and rotting in a forgotten place and hardly resembling anything human anymore. Tools, dark and glittering and merciless and tanks of acid guttering in the background. The images flashed through Minato's mind in an instant, reminding him of who exactly they were dealing with.

But why had Orochimaru surfaced again after eight years? And why was he _here_?

"Orochimaru…" The hesitant voice broke Minato from his thoughts, and he whirled to see Naruto looking back and forth from the two. "As in the snake sannin?"

The child broke the two former teammates from their staring contest. Both actually looked a little startled, as if they'd forgotten that Naruto was there. Minato might have found that funny if his mind didn't just suddenly go blank from panic at Naruto bringing the attention to himself.

"Naruto," Minato hissed, only to stop when he realized there was nothing he could say. The damage was already done, and there was no point in berating Naruto over it. The older blond exhaled, briefly closing his eyes. "Just… be careful. This man is dangerous."

Naruto's eyes flickered to where Minato was floating to confirm that he'd heard, and, an unusually serious expression crossing his features, nodded imperceptibly.

Orochimaru's lips had curled into something that almost resembled a smile, "Oh? I had no idea that the Academy would still teach about me. I'd have thought that the Hokage would have been too ashamed of the stain on his reputation."

They hadn't, actually, offered much on the snake sannin. The Academy had briefly gone over the 'Legendary Three Ninja' and gave one line about how one of the three ultimately betrayed them. Naruto had just remembered because he was brilliant.

"Orochimaru." Jiraiya's voice was strained. Minato was secretly worried. It was not that he was unsympathetic to Jiraiya, but his son's life might be on the line and Jiraiya had to be at his best. "You know that's not how it is. Sensei cared—no, still cares about you. You were always his favorite."

"And yet," Orochimaru commented lightly, his eyes deceptively casual as they landed on Naruto, "he chose this boy's daddy over me. Your student."

Jiraiya went tenser still, if that were possible, "Don't bring Naruto into this. He has nothing to do with—"

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Orochimaru interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Weren't you always the one telling me to lighten up? I'm not here for him."

"Then what are you here for?"

"Ah, finally asking the smart questions." Orochimaru waved another hand, and the ground behind him erupted. That hardly mattered however, in the context of what had risen from the ground.

Three coffins with unfamiliar seals and silver chains holding them in place discarded the dirt that they had been buried in and now stood tall and proud behind their summoner. Minato had no idea what they might be for, and from Jiraiya's blank expression neither did he, but given Orochimaru's history, neither were willing to take chances.

And then one of the coffins rattled, "Help me!"

Minato's eyes widened. He recognized the voice. It was the same man at the inn who'd convinced Jiraiya and Naruto to stay for celebrations.

From Naruto's and Jiraiya's reactions, they recognized the voice too.

Orochimaru grinned, "Yes yes, Inoue-kun here was my spy for Kuman. Imagine my surprise when he reported that the great sage Jiraiya was here accompanied by a boy with the most curious description. I had to see it for myself of course."

"So you decided to, what?" Jiraiya said with narrowed eyes, "Confront us now while we're… not weakened? Not distracted? This seems sloppy for you Orochimaru. What are you up to?"

Orochimaru only smiled in response, "Ah well, to be honest I wasn't planning on confronting you. I only wanted to confirm the details. But then I found something I just couldn't let go of." Beady yellow eyes flickered to the treeline above them, and the snake summoner's voice gained an extra oily quality, "Why don't you come out now, Itachi-kun?"

There was a moment of silence, and then the leaves above them ruffled and Uchiha Itachi jumped out in front of them. His face was completely blank.

From Naruto's wide eyes, Minato could tell that his son had not noticed their third (fourth?) party member. Minato hadn't expected Naruto to. He himself had only managed with the barest of hints, and no matter how brilliant Naruto was, he just didn't have the experience yet to pick out those hints.

It'd taken a moment for Minato to appreciate why the newly minted ANBU captain was following them, and secretly at that. And then he'd understood.

While Jiraiya was one of Konoha's most trusted and valued shinobi, the fact of the matter was that the Sharingan eyes had the advantage to tailed beasts. It was only logical to send out the only loyal Uchiha after the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, 'just in case' there were problems. While Minato hated to think that the Sandaime might have been worried about Naruto losing control, he had to acknowledge the wisdom of the decision.

Uchiha of course, had stayed hidden for Naruto's sake. The small blond had again and again proven his ability to give his guards the slip if he noticed them, but he would not take any precautions around those he did not know were there. Naruto had even managed to wiggle out of Jiraiya's protection for a little in the end.

Jiraiya was tense, "So you noticed him."

"Yes indeed," Orochimaru drawled, his lips forming into a wicked grin, "but I almost didn't. Itachi-kun here hid himself well. He'll be worthy. Very very worthy."

Naruto, who had been oddly silent during the whole exchange, finally spoke. His voice was low so not to carry, and Minato instantly knew the question was for him, "That guy… has he been shadowing us the entire time?"

"Yes," Minato breathed. "He's also the one who helped you with that bandit, and stirred up the trail for Tomu for us."

"What exactly are you aiming for?" Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes.

The question was directed at Orochimaru, but it was Itachi who chose to respond. His voice was low and lacked any intonation, save for the customary politeness required for an elder.

"I believe, Jiraiya-sama," the genius of Uchiha said as he moved forward, "that Orochimaru requires me for the immortality jutsu he is perfecting. He wishes to transfer his consciousness into my body in order to gain more years, and also because of my kekkei genkai. He finds the Sharingan useful to him. He has made an attempt once before, but failed."

"Is that how it is…"

Orochimaru tsked, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. It was slim and forked. "So I won't fail again. I've made preparations this time."

Minato went tense as his gaze went to his son. Orochimaru was wily and as much as he hated to think it, he knew that Jiraiya would have a hard time with him on a good day. He knew next to nothing about Itachi's skills but if Orochimaru was confident enough to attack them both anyhow, then his preparations had to be godly. Naruto could not be caught in that.

Jiraiya also glanced at Naruto, and then at Itachi, before turning back to Orochimaru with his brows furrowed. "And do you really think I'll just let you do whatever you want?"

"Oh but Jiraiya," Orochimaru's smile was all teeth. "I won't give you a choice."

He threw his arm out then, towards the coffins.

Something deep within rumbled, and Minato gasped as he felt a sharp tug against his naval. He resisted—_no!_—because he suddenly had a feeling that he knew what Orochimaru's 'preparations' were. But the force of it was too strong and he could use none of his seals and none of his jutsus. He felt something tear.

Naruto _screamed_.

* * *

><p>Minato felt the Edo Tensei work the instant before he had his body again. And then he was breathing in air for the first time in nearly eight years and experiencing the prickling feeling of sensation again.<p>

But it didn't matter. Not when Naruto had made such a horrifying noise.

Minato's position had changed. Rather than being beside Naruto, he had transferred to a point behind Orochimaru, trapped in the false body that the snake sannin had conjured. So he saw Naruto's eyes roll back as the smaller blond crumpled like chakra paper, tumbling to the ground. Minato felt his newly acquired heart skip a beat.

He hurriedly took a step forward, because he needed to get to his son. He needed to! But he'd been living with no notion of human gravity for the past seven years and he'd all but forgotten the limitations that came with having a body. His balance splintered and Minato stumbled with his step, actually tripping over his own feet and falling to the floor.

Minato let out an 'oomph' of surprise as he nearly face planted into the ground, only just managing to catch himself on a hand and his knees. He might have been embarrassed, except there was no room for it within his worry. His brows furrowed. He'd crawl to his son if he had to.

He was saved from such a gesture when Jiraiya made a sound, breaking through his thoughts and reminding Minato that someone else was there too. Letting out a breath Minato looked up to beg his former sensei for help, only to see that Jiraiya had already moved to do so.

He must have lunged forward the instant Minato did, because Minato could see that he'd caught Naruto just before the child hit the ground. Itachi was standing a few paces away, and Minato recognized the stance as a protective one. If anyone else moved for Naruto, the Uchiha would be the one to dispatch them.

Jiraiya was kneeling now, cradling Naruto's head between his hands as he checked the younger boy's vitals. And then he looked up. Astonishment at the sight of Minato and his two companions that Orochimaru had raised was still present in his eyes, but his former sensei held it together well.

"He's alright," the toad sage informed Minato. "Breathing steady even. I think he's just fainted."

Neither of them commented on the fact that Naruto had screamed _before_ Orochimaru's coffins had opened, and thus he couldn't have fainted from simple shock. It had to be something more. And from Jiraiya's tense body language, Minato knew that Jiraiya worried about it too.

Something shifted at the edge of Minato's periphery, and he finally turned to look at the shinobi beside him. Jiraiya followed his gaze, or perhaps the old man's attention had never truly left them in the first place, but in the end it amounted to the same.

Directly to the left of Minato was a slim man with long dark hair. Even farther left was a much stockier, silver haired shinobi with a customized hitai-ate. Even if he did not recognize their faces from the monument, he would by his own resurrection and knowledge of Orochimaru's nature. They were the first and second Hokages, respectively.

Minato closed his eyes. This was not good.

And then the Shodaime spoke. His voice had an almost childish quality to it, "Eh? Where are we?"

Minato's eyes snapped open. He stared at the founder of Konoha.

The Shodaime had a frown splayed across his lips as he scratched at his cheek. He looked almost… petulant.

Thankfully the Nidaime answered before any of them had to. The sneer on his lips told everyone what he thought of the question, "Isn't it obvious Hashirama? We've been summoned by Edo Tensei. Just look at our bodies. They're practically corpses." Brittle black eyes roved the little niche that the Konoha nin had made for themselves. They landed on Orochimaru. "You were the one who summoned us?"

"Ahh, why can't I move so well?" The Shodaime whined, continuing on as if he hadn't heard. He lifted an arm limply only for it to flop back down again. He turned to the Second with something that almost looked like a pout on his lips, "Tobirama, why'd you have to create such a troublesome jutsu?"

"Be quiet brother," the Nidaime replied harshly.

The Shodaime wilted right before the Konoha nins' eyes. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were staring at the two in disbelief, while Itachi's was completely blank. Minato actually might have found their antics amusing, if it weren't for the fact that his son's life might be in danger. As it was, he was hard pressed not to whack them, despite the fact that his body was not responding well either.

"Ah but what's this?" Suddenly the Nidaime's attention turned away from his brother and towards the other member that had been raised with them. "It looks like you didn't completely succeed. Hmpht. You might have been lucky with us, child, but you'll find that my Edo Tensei is not so easy to use."

Minato recognized the significance of the Nidaime's words at the same time Orochimaru did.

The blond pushed himself off the ground and leapt towards Jiraiya and the others, moving just in time to avoid the rain of shuriken Orochimaru threw at him. Minato landed beside his former sensei, only barely stumbling this time.

The implications laced through his mind at a thousand thoughts per minute. His gaze flickered the slightest bit sideways, catching his reflection on his former sensei's hitai-ate. He caught Jiraiya's eyes widening with realization at the same time Minato confirmed it.

"Yondaime…" Orochimaru's expression was a twist between forced bemusement and extreme hatred as he straightened from his striking position. He did not attack again. He knew that it would be a gamble now that the element of surprise had left his side. "It figures that you would be the one to find a way to circumvent this jutsu."

Unlike the Shodaime and the Nidaime, who looked like glorified corpses, Minato was slowly gaining hue. His skin was definitely less flakey than either of his predecessors, and most of all, his eyes were not the deadened black of Edo Tensei. They were a shocking blue.

There was awe on his old sensei's face as Jiraiya opened his mouth with question, but he closed it again before any could slip out. A shrewd intelligence replaced wonder. "Your revision of the Eight Trigrams?"

Minato nodded, "What else could it be?"

They'd both reached the conclusion that something about Minato's state previous to Orochimaru's summoning had disrupted it somehow. Whatever the case, Minato wouldn't question. At least not at the moment. What was important right now was defeating the snake and getting Naruto out of here.

The point was that he could move while Orochimaru's other summons could not. And he would take advantage of that.

"Itachi-kun!" Minato commanded, "I trust you to get my son safely out of here?"

There was only the slight widening of the boy's eyes to show his surprise, but he did not hesitate as he nodded. Buckling his knees, he scooped up Naruto in one smooth motion and raced towards one of the open paths.

"Oh no you don't," Orochimaru hissed, tossing out an arm and throwing a snake in the direction of the Uchiha. "You're not getting away again!"

Minato and Jiraiya jumped to intersect. They caught the snake by the head and the tail respectively, and Itachi disappeared into the woods.

"Do you think we'll let you?" Minato asked lightly.

Orochimaru grit his teeth. And then, a horrifying smile spread across his lips. "Oh, but I think you'll be too busy for that."

He moved too quickly for Jiraiya and Minato to counteract. Twin kunai with a tail of a forbidden seal appeared in his hands and without an ounce of mercy, Orochimaru drove them into the Shodaime and Nidaime's necks. The two Hokages gasped, spines stiffening.

"Kill them," Orochimaru hissed.

The Nidaime's eyes darkened as he glared back at their new master, "It sickens me that I'll have to fight for a traitor to Konoha."

"It's fine," the Shodaime replied with a wink, "if this guy wants to control us completely, he won't be able to use us at our full power. Let's have a little faith in our successors, shall we?"

And then the colorful personalities of the first and second Hokages were gone, leaving only deadly killing machines in their wake.

The two rushed at Minato and Jiraiya, not allowing the two to do anything but react.

The Nidaime was upon Minato in an instant, displaying to nearly full capacity the speed that he was so famous for. Minato reacted nearly too late. It felt strange to be in a body again and stranger still to move. Like stimulating soldier pills and thick miasma all at once. He only just managed to avoid the deadly strike the Nidaime had for him.

Minato gritted his teeth as he pulled back his shoulder to let the Nidaime's hand sail past his body. He pushed back the disconcerting feelings of having a body again as best he could. There was no time for it. He had to fight.

He grabbed onto the Nidaime's wrist before the previous Hokage could pull back from his attack and pulled him forward instead. His other hand reached for his own kunai to slice easily at the Nidaime's neck while he was off balance. It all happened within a second.

But the man before him was not the second Hokage of Konohagakure for no reason. Black eyes flickered to Minato's face before suddenly the Nidaime's leg swept towards Minato and Minato was forced to let go of the wrist to avoid being pulled into a disadvantaged taijutsu fight.

They engaged in a taijutsu fight anyway. It was neither of their specialties, although neither could be called poor at it either. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the Shodaime and Jiraiya begin exchanging ninjutsu, flares of every element lighting the sky. Trees moved at the first Hokage's command, barrelling towards Minato's mentor at every chance they got, and surrounded by forest as they were, it left Jiraiya with a severe disadvantage.

Orochimaru waited for a quarter of a moment before smiling sickeningly at Minato and making for the woods where Itachi and Naruto had gone. Minato felt his blood boil. The blond quickly forced the Nidaime's arm down from the beginnings of a choke hold and skipped a number of paces back, forgoing his advantage in order to intercept the sannin. Because this meant nothing if Orochimaru got to his son.

But the summoned body's first priority was to protect their summoner, and the Nidaime broke off their mutual agreement for a taijutsu battle in a splay of acid water discharging directly behind the snake. Minato had to abruptly cease his rush forward to avoid hitting into the wall, and he knew that by the time it came down, Orochimaru would be long gone.

Swearing under his breath, Minato turned back to the Nidaime. He could only hope now that he'd inferred correctly from Orochimaru's previous comment and that the young ANBU captain would be able to defeat the snake sannin again.

The two moved again, this time testing each other's prowess with ninjutsu. The Nidaime sent a cannon of water at him, which Minato avoided by swivelling his upper body back in a rolling duck. He used the opportunity to flash through a few quick seals, and sent lightning along the stream of water, directed back to its owner.

He hardly had time to do more as the rain of shuriken from the Nidaime arrived, and Minato was forced to slacken his legs and drop to the floor to roll out entirely to avoid them. Nevertheless one of them skimmed past his arm, drawing a thin line of blood.

Minato hissed as his skin split from the cut. His nerves felt alight in a way that he'd slowly been forgetting the past eight years, and to have it all back suddenly was a shock to his system. Embarrassingly enough, he nearly passed out from it.

But it wasn't the time to dwell on it.

His lightning justsu forced the Nidaime to abandon the follow up, and it gave Minato time to draw a few kunai of his own. He infused them with wind chakra to make them faster and deadlier, sending them flying towards the Nidaime the second he jumped to his feet.

It was just then that a great trunk emerged from the ground, surging forward to catch the knives within its deadly embrace. Minato's kunai should have cut through it anyway, except that it was supported by the Shodaime's chakra.

Before he had time to think about the intervention, a wall of fire flared to life in front of Minato, and he saw little holes of steam scatter across the veil. It took him less than a second to realize what had happened. The Nidaime had used the opportunity to send invisible water darts at Minato. He turned his head slightly as the wall dispersed, meeting the gaze of Jiraiya as the old man lowered his arm. He'd protected Minato again.

They had interfered with each other's fights. That changed the game entirely.

The four of them broke apart, panting, scattering with nearly the entire length of the visible road between them. For a moment neither side moved, studying the other.

"Do you still remember how to fight with me, sensei?" Minato said grimly.

Jiraiya snorted, "Brat, I was with you when you were first developing this thing and tripping everyone."

Minato put up his hands defensively, "Hey, hey, I was just asking because I wasn't sure if I remembered how to fight with me."

"Course," Jiraiya smiled. And then his expression turned serious. "How do we stop these two? They freaking regenerate and it's not like they're so weak that they'll just let us take them apart."

"The seals." Minato said immediately. "Their bodies are indestructible but the part that is controlling them is not. We just have to aim for their heads and take out the implanted kunai."

Jiraiya smiled grimly, "You make it sound so easy."

They both knew it would be not. Orochimaru's machines would surely know of their weakpoint and protect it with all their strength.

"Ahh well," Minato breathed out, "you're the great Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku are you not?"

"Hahaha! Well, you've got that right brat!" And then he grinned, and pulled something from his pockets. He tossed it to Minato. "Just for that, I'll give you this gift."

Minato's eyes widened as he caught the thing. It was a kunai with three prongs, and a familiar symbol etched along the front. For the first time, he smiled, "You always know what to get me, sensei."

Jiraiya winked and charged, a rasengan forming in his right hand as he dashed towards the Shodaime. Minato followed suit, rushing towards the Nidaime to prevent the two from combining against Jiraiya.

Minato was faster than Jiraiya, reaching his target first. He slashed his three pronged kunai towards the Nidaime, who brought out his own weapon to deflect it. Sparks flared as steel met steel, but the shape of Minato's kunai gave him the advantage and it caught the weapon between the prongs.

The Nidaime instantly let go of the weapon and drew another with his other hand to aim a low strike at Minato's belly. But Minato caught his wrist, shoving the Nidaime's arm down just as the Nidaime brought his free hand to his mouth.

Minato's eyes widened as he quickly let go, skipping multiple steps to the side to avoid the sudden torrent of water the Nidaime sent at where Minato had been. Minato quickly shook the Nidaime's kunai off his and formed a fist at his side, gathering thick blue energy to him.

The Nidaime noticed and rushed towards him with his kunai, intent on disrupting Minato before he completed his rasengan. Minato tossed his own kunai at the man's head to get him to back off. The second Hokage ducked to avoid the kunai, but it did slow his momentum enough for Minato to complete his rasengan. And the target of Minato's kunai had never been him to start with.

Just as the Shodaime leapt out of the way of Jiraiya's frontal assault, Minato appeared behind him. He snatched the kunai he'd throw with his left hand and slammed his right towards the back of the Shodaime's neck.

The Shodaime whirled just in time, bringing up a shoulder to block Minato's assault. The rasengan keened and the left side of the Shodaime exploded. Minato hissed as bits of clay whizzed past his face, but before he could follow up the earth roared and surged towards him, forcing Minato to roll mid air to avoid being crushed.

He saw out of the corner of his eye that the Nidaime had turned towards them, his hands on the ground and the perpetrator of the jutsu no doubt. He also saw Jiraiya slam into the second Hokage a moment after the jutsu activated.

Hands flashing through seals quickly, Minato pushed a palm against the block of wood the Nidaime had formed, sending a spray of earthy barbs in the Shodaime's direction. He knew they'd be useless in causing long term damage, but if they could pin down his opponent, it'd be all he'd need.

The Shodaime wasn't done yet. He summoned a wind with his still available hand, blowing himself out of the trajectory of the spikes. But Minato had always known better than to bank on one strategy. Just as the Shodaime released his wind jutsu, Minato wrapped his kunai with wreaths of flame, and threw the weapon. The wind that the Shodaime had created only made the fire burn all the brighter.

The Shodaime quickly dodged right, with his left side having less to protect. Minato had been counting on that. He appeared in a flash beside his three pronged kunai and put out the flames as he grabbed hold of it. In the same motion he reached for the Shodaime's neck, currently unprotected by a left arm.

Wood erupted from the Shodaime's shoulder, blade thin and lightning fast. The edge even seemed to glint in the artificial light. Minato jumped backwards, and just in time too. It sliced the air where Minato's head had just been.

The small reprieve was all the Shodaime needed. The Shodaime jumped towards one of the nearby trees, swiftly placing a hand against the trunk. Instantly, the tree seemed to become a monster, the branches stretching and whipping towards Minato like a shark that had smelt blood.

Minato dodged, which was about easy enough until fifteen other trees joined the first one. Slowly, ever so slowly, the trees were forcing him towards the line of trees, making it even harder to dodge. Sooner or later, he was going to get hit by the blade-like branches.

But he wasn't out of options yet.

Minato quickly formed some handseals, and just as he simultaneously ducked the branch of one tree and slid his body around the branch of another, he released his jutsu. "Wind Style: Tattered Remains."

The winds howled, and ripped through the trees around him, shredding the solid trunks like paper. The Shodaime was forced to leap backwards, using chakra to enhance his jump, just avoiding the wild winds.

That was alright though, because they weren't really aimed for him anyway.

Jiraiya and the Nidaime came into view as the Shodaime vaulted, at some time having migrated behind the first Hokage during their own fight. Jiraiya having purposefully led his opponent there.

The winds hit the Nidaime a split second before Jiraiya's fireball did.

He was caught just in time by Jiraiya's fireball.

Minato didn't hesitate for a moment. Just as the Shodaime moved, Minato formed another long sequence of handseals. The winds gave him time. Then, he took a few steps to the left, and slammed his hands down into the ground and forced up a wall between Jiraiya and the Shodaime. He was just in time to block the Shodaime's lightning jutsu that was aimed towards his old mentor.

There was a fatal second before the Nidaime leapt from the flames, but he hadn't been untouched. Minato's affinity was wind, and Jiraiya's fire. Together their jutsus was hard to shake off by even a Hokage, especially since they had hit at point blank.

Half of the Nidaime's body was burnt.

But just like it had been the first time, Minato knew that it wouldn't last long.

"Now sensei!" He yelled.

Jiraiya didn't waste any time. Immediately, he bit his thumb, making one single handseal as he slammed his hand against the ground, "Summoning Techinque!"

Gamahiro appeared in a puff of smoke, "So I'm telling him that— oh, Jiraiya-dono, what is it that you require of me?"

Jiraiya pointed to the Shodaime, "Distract that guy!"

They both knew that a summon wouldn't stand long against the Senju, but they didn't need long.

Minato and Jiraiya both surged towards the Nidaime. The Nidaime cupped his still working hand around his lips, and a plume of water erupted from his mouth. It formed the shape of a dragon, spearing for the two advancing nin.

The two of them reacted instantly, Minato angling his body low and to the left while Jiraiya went right. Still, even as they moved, Minato couldn't help but be impressed. He recognized the Nidaime's jutsu as an A class one, and to do that without seals or a water supply was thought to be impossible. If their situation weren't so dire, Minato would feel overwhelmingly grateful to be able to fight these people.

But the water dragon wasn't one that could be so easily dodged.

"I'll take care of it!" Minato yelled, waving for Jiraiya to go ahead with the Nidaime. He summoned up a wind to divert the path of the dragon into the line of trees, where it splashed and knocked down about twenty of them. Minato was panting with the effort at the end, just as Jiraiya engaged the Nidaime in taijutsu.

The Nidaime aimed a roundabout kick at his head. Jiraiya collapsed one knee, just barely dodging the kick as he thrust up an arm, fist clenched in a powerful punch. The corpse ninja twisted, allowing the fist to skim his side as his own hand shot out, grasping onto Jiraiya's exposed arm. Jiraiya used the Nidaime as a pole, flipping his body upwards around the place where the Nidaime had grasped onto his body, and aiming a deadly kick at the Nidaime's head.

For one precious second, Nidaime was too preoccupied to notice Minato appear behind him. He'd tagged the Nidaime with his seal the first time they'd engaged after Jiraiya had given him the three pronged kunai.

But Minato was not the only one to have made a surprise appearance.

The Shodaime came from nowhere, lightning rippling down his hand as he speared through Jiraiya's arm. The arm that the Nidaime had been holding on to ripped away, freeing the Nidaime once more.

Gamahiro lay motionless some distance away. And then he disappeared in a puff of smoke which indicated that he had exhausted all his chakra and would be unable to continue.

Minato's heart dropped to his stomach. A terrible churn that nearly made his limbs weak with denial. No, no, no, not Jiraiya.

But Jiraiya gave no indication of the attack save for the grimace of pain which crossed his features, and Minato knew then that he would have to continue. His mentor wouldn't have it any other way. The Nidaime was free, but it was too late.

He slammed into the back of the Nidaime, razor winds acting like a cutting glove around his fingers as he drove his hand into the Nidaime's neck. A second later, he pulled out the kunai which had been controlling the Hokage, and the Nidaime's body crumbled to dust.

One down, one to go.

Jiraiya was fighting the Shodaime with one arm, and awkwardly too, because there had been no time to get used to the weight shift balance. Minato concentrated on the symbol that he had tagged the Shodaime with the time when he'd been hit with the rasengan, and appeared directly behind the corpse.

The Shodaime whirled just in time to block a jab from Minato, black eyes unearthly as they stared at the blond.

The resulting battle was long and bitter. Minato had never expected any less from the first Hokage, but he had hoped that their Edo Tensei selves would have been a bit easier to defeat. Then again, Minato still was not exactly in top form himself. Jiraiya's situation was worse and if Minato wasn't sure that he'd lose badly without the help of his sensei, he'd have ordered Jiraiya to stand down long ago. It'd taken all of his and Jiraiya's combined intellect to finally take the Shodaime down.

"Shodaime, I am sorry," he murmured as he finally, _finally_ snatched the kunai from his neck.

The Shodaime only smiled at him, "It is not a problem, Yondaime. You have done your predecessors proud."

And then his body crumbled to dust.

Minato let out a breath, staggering back as he ran a hand through his hair. Briefly he closed his eyes as if that could restore some of his energy, and turned back to Jiraiya.

The toad sannin finally allowed himself to collapse to the ground. He'd put on a brave face during battle and had ignored his injuries spectacularly, but this wasn't just a little wound.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Jiraiya grimaced, though his face was the one that was ghastly. "Don't count me out yet, kid."

Minato closed his eyes. He felt like his blood would never flow correctly again. "Your arm…"

Jiraiya's left arm was gone.

It was a small mercy that the wound had come from a lightning jutsu, and so Jiraiya wasn't bleeding. His stump of a shoulder was burnt through.

Jiraiya snorted, "Heh, considering we were fighting the legends of Konoha, and with them being immortal nonetheless, I'd say we came off lightly."

Minato swallowed. There was more that he wanted to say, but despite Jiraiya's easy words and tone, Minato recognized the slight tension in his shoulders and the weary face. An arm was… well, it was the life of a shinobi. Perhaps it was his sensei himself who did not want to discuss the topic.

It was just then that Naruto came bursting out of the woods.

"Jiraiya-jiji!" He shouted, only for his eyes to go wide at the sight of the old man sitting with something clearly missing from his side. He froze.

Minato did too after he whirled to face the newcomer. He blinked in confusion, "Naruto…?"

"Jiraiya-jiji, what…?" Naruto looked utterly devastated. He took a few steps forward. Stopped. A hand twitched at his side. "Is that—is that a trick? An illusion for Snake Face?"

Jiraiya's face fell, "Oh Naruto."

"Because he's gone now! Itachi-san scared him away! Except now something's wrong with Itachi-san and he needs you to look at him, so please drop the illusion!"

"Naruto, it's not an illusion," Jiraiya said gently. He lifted his right arm in an inviting hug and tried to smile. It came out twisted. "My old teammate left us a nasty little gift. I'm afraid it was a bit more than this old man could handle without injury."

Naruto let out a choked sob and ran into Jiriaya's embrace. The toad wrapped his arm around the child, patting his back tenderly.

Jiraiya exchanged a glance with Minato, and Minato nodded. As much as he wanted to see how Naruto was doing, to be there for Naruto, both of them had noted what Naruto had said. Uchiha Itachi was apparently in trouble, and somebody needed to see how he was.

Minato turned and raced through the path that Naruto had created. Itachi had managed to leave no trace of himself and Naruto even while escaping the snake sanin, but Naruto was not the same. Then again, if what Naruto said was true, he had good reason.

He followed the trail to the end, and found Uchiha Itachi leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, legs crossed in a lotus position as he breathed raggedly. It didn't stop the Uchiha from reacting as soon as Minato was in range.

Minato had taken a step before a storm of kunai was flung at him. Minato sucked in a breath as he twisted sharply to the left, just in time to see Itachi's eyes opened and his hands flickering through seals. Itachi's eyes widened and he dropped his hands.

"Yondaime-sama." Itachi relaxed minutely. "My apologies. I did not expect you, and your footsteps did not sound like Jiraiya-sama's or Naruto-kun's."

"No, no," Minato said easily, his bones crackling as he shifted back into a normal position. "I shouldn't have startled you."

To be honest he hadn't thought that Itachi would react so promptly, considering he was supposed to be injured. Also, how far could the kid hear to have noticed Minato coming?

"Nevertheless," Itachi bowed his head. And then he looked up warily. "I am glad to see that you are apparently alive and well, but I must ask, how it is that you are still here while the Shodaime and Nidaime are not?"

"Not quite sure," Minato replied with a shake of his head. "Perhaps it's because the technique hasn't actually ended yet. We forcibly stopped the first and second Hokages, but Orochimaru might not know that. Now Naruto said you were injured?"

Itachi took a long look at him. Minato waited patiently. He knew that if he were in the Uchiha's position, he wouldn't be so quick to trust either. But Itachi seemed to have something in Minato's face, because he nodded curtly and pulled down the collar of his shirt.

Minato drew in a breath, "And what's that?"

On the right side of Itachi's neck was some kind of dark marking which Minato instantly recognized as some kind of seal, but he could not easily discern what it was meant to do.

For the first time, Itachi winced. "Unclear. It activated some kind of genjustsu at the moment of its inception but I overcame it. I estimate that it is a seal that disrupts chakra as I am admittingly finding it more difficult than usual to access certain techniques. Currently it is causing me some pain but it is dissipating. I'm afraid that Naruto-kun over reacted, and at the time I was in no condition to chase him."

"But if it were just meant to disrupt you during battle, it wouldn't have stayed," Minato mulled. "I'll speak about it with sensei."

Itachi inclined his head in thanks before rising to his feet. He gave no sign that he was fatigued save for the small tremors that occasionally surfaced from his body. "Then let's get going."

"You're allowed to take it easy," Minato said gently. He took a few steps forward and took Itachi's elbow. The Uchiha stiffened but did not push him away. "I don't sense any enemies nearby. We can take a bit more time."

Itachi exhaled and nodded, and they began walking.

Now that he had time to think, he did note that Itachi could only be thirteen. It was so young. He felt badly for pushing the responsibility of Naruto onto the child, but at the time there had been no choice. Besides that, Itachi had proven himself skilled, and no matter what his age, he was an able shinobi.

"When did Naruto wake?" Minato asked softly. He'd been running over Naruto's appearance to him and Jiriaya and his only conclusion was that the child himself must have woken during the escapade.

"Not long after we absconded," Itachi replied instantly. His gaze shifted to Minato, and there was something in his eyes that told Minato that if Itachi didn't know, he at least suspected. "Whatever happened to him, I believe it was only a momentary shock to his system and he was restored accordingly."

Minato winced. "I was afraid of that. How much of your encounter with Orochimaru did Naruto see?"

The only good thing about Naruto having fainted in the first place was that he wouldn't have to see a shinobi battle at their level. Naruto had only just fought bandits. While Minato had taught him a lot of techniques, he had never expected Naruto to face S-class nin this soon.

The sheer killing intent that could be emitted had driven some unprepared genin insane, and Naruto had never even truly been on the field yet. To think that his child had woken in the midst of all this…

The smile on Itachi's face was strained, but it was a smile nonetheless. "Naruto-kun helped me with Orochimaru actually. The genjutsu seal he used… it momentarily stunned me, but Naruto's quick thinking distracted Orochimaru and gave me time to recover."

"Really?" Minato asked in interest, surprised.

Itachi nodded and gave a brief summary of the fight that had ensued between him and Orochimaru. Minato listened in amazement to how his son had the guts to try and back up the ANBU captain, and by all accounts had succeeded.

He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face at the end of it. He was beyond proud of Naruto.

"After that, Orochimaru escaped," Itachi finished. "I thought to follow him but my primary mission was securing Naruto, and I did not want to leave him alone or bring him with me on a dangerous manhunt."

"You did the right thing," Minato said gently. "The instruction was to flee, not to capture Orochimaru. We have no idea what else he might have been capable of. To think that he's mastered Edo Tensei…"

And from what Minato had seen of Itachi when he'd first arrived in the forest, he wasn't entirely sure that the young ANBU captain was capable of chasing down Orochimaru anyhow. Itachi hid it well, but it was evident that whatever Orochimaru had done to him affected him more than he was willing to admit.

"I should have killed him the first time," Itachi said softly. "But I was arrogant. I'd thought to use him to gain information. I'd never thought that he'd advance to such a degree. For that I apologize."

"So now you know to guard against it the next time," Minato said with a smile. He hesitated, and then gave Itachi's shoulder a small pat. The boy tensed slightly under his hand, but did not otherwise react. "I can count on you to not make the mistake again, correct? But remember that even the Sandaime was deceived by Orochimaru. And you chased him away from my son this time, so I thank you for that."

Itachi's eyes flickered, and his lips parted as if to say something, but it was then that they arrived back on the road. Minato noticed Itachi's eyes widening when they landed on Jiraiya's left side. Naruto was asleep on his legs.

Jiraiya looked up. He smiled, though Minato could see the strained lines around his mouth. "Oi Uchiha, glad to see you're doing alright. Naruto wouldn't calm down until I assured him I sent someone after you."

Itachi and Jiraiya engaged in some kind of exchange, but Minato only paid the barest amount of attention. His focus was nearly completely on the fair haired boy dozing at Jiraiya's side. The child looked smaller than ever.

Gaze tender, Minato moved forward, and knelt directly in front of his son. He reached out a hand and touched Naruto's cheek. It was as soft as he'd always imagined, well suited to such a kind hearted boy. Naruto shifted with the touch, and Minato pulled back.

He didn't want to wake Naruto yet. If this Edo Tensei did not last, he did not want Naruto to think that his father had come back from the dead, so to speak, only for it to be cruelly ripped away again. If Edo Tensei did not last, it would be better if Naruto never saw him like this.

"How is he?" Minato asked gently.

Jiraiya chuckled, though it sounded drained. "He was apologizing for what he said to me at the bandits thing. Said I acted dumb at times but thought I'd still always be smarter than him and he looks up to me. It tired him out." There was a soft smile on his face as he gazed down at the child. "Idiot."

Minato forced himself not to look at Jiraiya's missing arm. While what Naruto had said had been out of line, Minato had the feeling that this apology had come from the recent changes to Jiraiya. It didn't mean that it wasn't sincere. But it did mean that Naruto was acting from as much of a place of guilt as of sincere repentance.

Well, it wasn't like Minato didn't understand that. He was the one who had actually gotten his sensei's arm ripped off. He felt like apologizing for every uncharitable thought he'd had towards the toad sage.

"He's so mature." There was a hint of sadness in Jiraiya's eyes, "I sometimes forget that I'm speaking to a child in nearly every sense of the word when I'm talking to him."

"He is very responsible," Minato agreed.

But Jiraiya only shook his head. There was a slight grin on his face, "Nah, you don't get it, but then again, why did I expect you to? You're his dad. You're probably incapable of seeing him as anything other than your little boy, aren't you?"

Minato chuckled, "You may be right."

Jiraiya looked away, "He talks to me like a godson to godfather, but he's responsible and mature and while I never forget that he's a kid, sometimes I forget that he's not shinobi just yet. I think I expect him to understand too much too quickly sometimes. Heh, never thought I'd be the one to do that."

There wasn't a lot to say to that.

"Yes well," Minato grinned, "over the years I think I've learned that you're not infallible. The strange pervert stance you've made up did a lot on that front."

"Oi, you're not allowed to make fun of me. I'm exhausted," Jiraiya laughed. And then he grimaced. "I think we all are. Considering the new developments it might be best to abandon this mission and head back to Konoha."

"Yeah," Minato breathed, and looked down at his hands. It had to be the famous Uzumaki luck that turned this mission into such a disaster, but there was a part of him that hoped—that had thought of Edo Tensei ending as an if and not a when but didn't dare believe—

Well, first and foremost, Konoha.

* * *

><p>An: Yes Minato getting his body back was always the plan. Edo Tensei is overdone but it's practically accepted fanon theory and I didn't see a need to make some other random stuff up because the _hows_ of this is not the focus. I really would have preferred to have let Minato keep his body from the very beginning but I didn't want to deal with the political changes that would invariably be there. The focus of this story is after all, the cutesy father-son relationship.

On that note, the cuteness kind of had to come to an end at Seven Years Old. So the last three chapters were basically just set up for Minato's revival and to end on a high point. I've considered more but ultimately nothing else would suit the tone of this story. One more chapter and this fic will be done.

…before any of you start staring in disbelief at me for ending it just when things are getting interesting, yes I am planning a sequel. It'll be of a slightly different tone than _The Daddy Thing_ though. It won't be pure fluff like this one, though it will have its moments. It'll be a little darker, have a little more plot, and the risk of it being abandoned are a whole lot bigger. If you're interested just state so and I will write it. Keep this on your alerts list even after it's marked as 'Complete' if you're looking for more and I'll post a note telling you guys if I do it.


	11. Father and Son

A/n: So, it's been a year. Ahaha, sorry. I went back to catch up on Naruto to get me motivated for this chapter. Needless to say, it backfired. I was so upset with the direction the manga had taken that I had to abandon this for a while to get some distance and finally give it the feel good ending (as per the tone of this story) it deserves. Also, I admit that some part of me wanted to put off saying goodbye to it, but alas, I can't be so cruel as to withhold the ending from all of you because of sentimental feelings.

Prompt: Minato chose to give Naruto a few minutes with his mother rather than a lifetime with his father. Right or wrong, it happened, but how would the world have looked if the other choice had been made…?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

"_Minato I… I love you, remember that." ~Kushina_

* * *

><p>Minato closed his eyes, letting out a breath as he tilted his head back and felt the breeze. The wind rustled past him, gently caressing his scalp as it lifted his hair as if trying to carry the strands away. It felt absolutely glorious.<p>

It'd been nearly a month since Minato had gotten a body again, and he still could not get used to it. When he had resigned himself to death, or to be a guiding spirit within his son, there had been no secret plan to come back. What Orochimaru had caused was unprecedented and completely unexpected, but not, he thought, wholly unwelcome.

Blue eyes fluttered open as Minato once again lowered his head. He was in a field of graves, and perhaps he should not have felt as calm as he did in that environment, but perhaps he had earned the right. He himself had spent time among the dead after all.

His hand lay on the gravestone that he had come to visit. Gleaming silver in the afternoon sun, the name etched on the grey marble winked up at him, as lively as the woman it represented.

He had been standing in that same position for hours, not really in a hurry to say what he had come for. He had time, now. But the time to meet the Sandaime was approaching, and he thought it better to tell his wife now than after he had confirmed it with the third Hokage.

"Hey Kushina," Minato whispered. "I wanted to say that I was sorry. I know that I promised to join you as soon as I could, and Naruto can certainly take care of himself now, but I want to be here for him. So is it alright if I spend just a little more time here?"

There was no reply. And of course there wouldn't be. But Minato thought that Kushina would have told him that he was stupid and of course she wanted their son to have a father. He smiled at that thought.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to the cool headstone before he straightened again. His eyes were shadowed, but for the first time in a long time, he felt at peace with his decisions. "Goodbye, my love."

He found the Sandaime in the Hokage Tower, looking harried as he struggled to complete his paperwork. Minato couldn't help but smile wanly at that, remembering his own skirmishes with the worst nightmares of any office job.

Minato closed the door and the Sandaime finally looked up. The old man smiled and gestured for Minato to take a seat, which the blond did contently. He also absently noted that there were no ANBU present. The Sandaime must have dismissed them.

They engaged in a few minutes of small talk. Catching up on what was going on with Konoha, with Naruto. But eventually, they had to get to the meat of the issue.

"I'm afraid that we can't hide what has happened any longer, Minato-san. The Uchiha situation is approaching critical levels, especially with the recent injury to the heir. I need you to testify that it was Madara who caused the event eight years ago."

"Of course."

"Good." The Sandaime said, and then he hesitated. "May I ask—how? Not that I am unhappy that you are back, Minato-san, but how exactly are you back? I thought that you sealed your body inside the Shimigami."

Minato's lips quirked into a thin smile, "I can't presume to know how Orochimaru's jutsu works, but I think that the explanation for this lies in the fact that this—" he gestured to himself "—is not truly my body. It belonged to someone else, and my soul with the help of the jutsu imposed my features onto it."

"Will it last?"

Minato shook his head, "Too soon to tell, but since I have this opportunity, I'm not abandoning Naruto. If it doesn't last I'll look into ways to force it to last."

The Sandaime's eyes were as hard as steel, "What I'm asking, Namikaze Minato, is whether I can announce that our Yondaime is back."

Minato hesitated.

The Sandaime sighed, and pulled back, his eyes softening slightly, "I see."

"I haven't given an answer," Minato protested, although he knew he had.

"It is alright. It would be devastating upon Konoha anyhow if you were to resume your mantle only for your body to break down within the year. I will give you time, shall I?"

"Should I hide my identity then?" Minato mused.

The Sandaime shook his head, eyes twinkling, "No, I think you caused too much commotion when you returned for that to work. Too many have seen you. We'll think of another explanation—you have been in a coma for the last eight years and we did not wish to inform anyone in case of assassination attempts. Recently you have just woken up and wanted to get reacquainted with your son."

Minato let out a reverent breath. He felt his throat close. It had never crossed his mind that he would acknowledge Naruto after the fight with Orochimaru was over, but nevertheless he felt a softness for the Sandaime just then.

"Thank you," he said, bowing his head.

* * *

><p>It wasn't even a day since the Hokage announced Minato's return that the first shinobi showed up on his doorsteps.<p>

The Sandaime had been quiet about where Minato had taken residence, but they lived in a village of ninja, and it was not as if Naruto had been notified to loose any tails. Added to that, in hindsight, it was obvious where Minato would be.

After returning to Konoha, Naruto and Minato had moved to the Yondaime's old house, which the Sandaime admitted had not been taken down for entirely sentimental reasons. Nobody in the village it seemed, could bear to part with the last reminder of their former Hokage, not knowing that the Yondaime's true legacy was the very thing they mistreated.

It had been hard seeing the compound that he had Kushina had shared, but Naruto's excitement had been enough to soften the blow. It was rancid and dusty, but it was theirs. He could have hired a genin team—Shirou's coming to mind easily—but it felt like it wasn't something that should have had intruders. Minato and Naruto spent an entire week cleaning it.

To be fair, the shinobi had not truly crowded the doorway, as it were. Minato was in fact in the process of making dinner for himself when he sensed a visiter at the front gates. They were polite enough not to come in uninvited, and in fact did not show any sign of asking his presence, allowing him the power in any meeting.

Minato sighed as he set his cooking aside and undoing the apron he had donned, padded towards the front door. He could not in good conscience leave someone waiting at the gates when it was easy enough to do otherwise.

Exchanging his slippers for some sort of outer footwear, Minato pushed open the door to their house and slowly made his way to the compound's gates. The door, with all its seals in place, swung shut behind him.

It took him but a moment to identify the nin present just beyond the compound's territory, the man's stoic expression briefly lifting as Minato drew close enough for his features to be seen.

Minato stopped just a little before the large iron bars, a small smile flitting across his features, "It's been a while."

"Yondaime-sama," Sakaguchi Kimihiro breathed. "So it's true then. You're really alive."

Sakaguichi had been a chunin when Minato had been the Yondaime. Now he was jounin. While they had been neither classmate or student, as the Yondaime, Minato had made it a point to get to know each of the shinobi under him.

Minato's smile softened. "As are you. I'm glad."

There were so few shinobi from Minato's time who had survived. Many had died in the war. Many more in the Kyuubi attack. For the higher ranked nin and ANBU it was more dangerous still, as death was always a close possibly to them even in times of peace.

"But," Minato added. This was important. He had to establish from the start what he intended. "I am no longer the Yondaime. Please, call me Minato."

The other nin simply bowed his head. "Thank you. And my apologies for the inappropriate address, Namikaze-sama. I was just…"

"Astonished," Minato smiled. The other it seemed could not bring himself to speak Minato's name so familiarly, but at the very least he was no longer using a title. "I understand."

Sakaguich looked up again and gave a small nod. And then he hesitated. "The Sandaime has said that you are not coming back to your position…"

"At my behest," Minato responded with a wry smile.

Sakaguchi drew in a deep breath. Despite being in his thirties now, authority always seemed to make people nervous. "We understand, as far as we can understand. But know that you will forever be the Yondaime, even if you are not the Hokage."

Minato's smile turned just the slightest bit brittle.

He understood what Sakaguchi was saying. He was touched, he did not deny it. He knew that Sakaguchi would not be able to say such a thing with such confidence if not for the fact that some of his friends felt that way too. He did feel honoured to be remembered, and remembered so warmly.

"Thank you," he said softly. "It means a lot to me."

It was not that he did not understand what a privilege this was, but perhaps he did not want to be elevated. He never had. He had taken the mantle of Yondaime to save his people, but all he had ever wanted was to be a regular ninja like any other.

_It's not unlike Naruto,_ he thought bemusedly in a sudden flash of insight. _How much I wanted to be accepted, back then._

It stirred his heart that he might never lose the automatic distinction his peers would make due to his previous position. He was touched, and he was just a little bit sad.

But in the end it did not matter. He had chosen this path to save the village and help his son. Both tasks he had more or less completed. The fact that he had received a second chance at life was not a gift he had ever dreamed of. This was more than enough.

"And—" Sakaguchi hesitated. "I believe everyone would like to express these sentiments."

It was a strange way of putting it. But Minato had already suspected that Sakaguchi came for some ulterior motive, even if he had hoped otherwise.

"So it's not just a congenial visit after all." Minato smiled with his eyes, since there was a hardness he couldn't quite rid himself of on his lips.

Sakaguchi seemed to immediately catch upon Minato's thought process, because he hastily shook his head. "No, no it's nothing like that. We just wanted to invite you out tonight, to the Flouncing Frog."

The reply made Minato blink in surprise. The Flouncing Frog. It was an establishment run by former shinobi for shinobi. He had visited the bar a few times before with his friends.

It took him only an instant to see the connection though.

"A neutral territory," Minato mused, enlightened. "You're the frontrunner."

Sakaguchi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "We all wanted to see you, but I thought it was a bad idea for all of us to show up. I thought you'd appreciate it more if it was just one delivering the message."

"Thank you for the consideration," Minato smiled. "You weren't wrong. Normally I would not mind, but ah, Naruto."

He hesitated, unsure of how much exactly the Sandaime had divulged. Minato did not really mind the villagers learning of Naruto's heritage now.

Sakaguchi only nodded. "Yes, Sarutobi—Asuma that is—gave enough hints to those not in the know." The jounin smiled sheepishly. "I admit I didn't realize it for a while. But now he's the image of you."

Minato couldn't help the beam that split his face. "We tried to keep it hidden. Besides, not many knew what I truly looked like." But they would now. It was another reason to not deny Naruto's parentage any longer. He laughed. "That sculpture on the Hokage Monument makes me look so severe."

Sakaguchi only smiled uncertainly, likely still uncomfortable with the idea of joking with his former superior. Instead, he moved on. "So will you come, Namikaze-sama?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to say yes. It was on the tip of his tongue to say no. Socializing with Sakaguchi had not been horrible, and Minato was sure that if he saw everyone again, he would enjoy himself. However.

"Are you a father, Sakaguchi-kun?"

Sakaguchi looked surprised by the question, but he still answered without reluctance, bless him. "Yes, I am."

A brief smile flitted across Minato's lips. He was genuinely pleased for his past subordinate. "Congratulations. How old is your child?"

"Thank you, Namikaze-sama. And he is three."

"Do you enjoy spending time with him?"

"Very much so." A tender expression crossed Sakaguchi's face. "I could watch him all day."

"I feel the same way towards my son," Minato smiled sadly. "I have already missed the first eight years of his life. While I appreciate your offer, currently I just want some time with him."

He had spent all of Naruto's life with the child, but never like this. Never where he could just reach out and ruffle Naruto's hair and feel the coarse blonde strands beneath. Never where he could hoist Naruto up to his shoulders and carry him down the street. Never where he could assign chores to Naruto like a normal boy rather than the child being forced to do everything himself.

Sakaguchi's face lit in comprehension, and for the moment Minato thought he would finally leave, but the brown haired nin surprisingly began to shake his head.

"Namikaze-sama," the younger shinobi said quietly, "I highly value what you saying. Please do not misunderstand me on this point. As you have pointed out, I am also a father, and the very first thing I wish to see nowadays after coming back from a mission is his face. But… everyone really would like to see you. It would just be this one night, I promise. Nobody will demand your presence on a frequent basis."

"Will it really stay one night?" Minato asked in an equally soft tone of voice. "It begins this way, and then branches out to small favours, and then large ones. All of it would be time consuming."

The reports of his return had been unsure, but that would no longer be the case. When the story fabricated between himself and the Sandaime ran in earnest, the villagers would no longer have any hesitancies in seeking him out.

He had a feeling he would be pulled in eventually. His own moral code would not allow him to deny it for long after they knew for certain whether Minato's condition was permanent or not. But he would put it off for as long as possible.

Sakaguchi's eyes cleared in a hint of something resembling understanding, and then his expression turned pained.

"Alright then," Minato sighed. "Allow me to retrieve my coat."

The other nin's visage twisted in confusion, "Namikaze-sama?"

"It wouldn't do to ignore my well wishers forever," Minato responded lightly. "That wouldn't be fair for either them or myself."

He had been on the fence about the entire venture. The concerns he voiced to Sakaguchi were not false. In the end however, seeing his former subordinate's disappointment, Minato found that he could not give the final no.

He sent a summon to Naruto to inform the child of the change in plans. Considering Naruto was currently spending time at Kabuto's apartment, Minato did not think he would mind.

He had a good time. Everyone greeted him with enthusiasm, just as Sakaguchi predicted, but they were not overwhelming. Knowing the profession as they did, they seemed to understand when a retired shinobi needed space. It didn't stop some of the stares, but Minato was long used to those, and he did not truly mind it. He chatted easily with the younger nin, offering smiles and advice readily. The older shinobi were more polite and reverent, but they offered more stimulating conversation topics as well.

Drinks passed around easily, and toasts were given frequently. It took a considerable amount of effort even on Minato's part not to consume too much. As it was, he allowed himself to be pleasantly buzzed, incapable of refusing the drinks to his honour completely.

The day soon descended into early evening, and Minato was trading secrets about the Forbidden Forest with Anko when the door to the Flouncing Frog opened for the sixth time that night. Minato glanced over for a cursory view, the movement automatic despite his state of relaxation.

His silver hair highlighted by the stark light of the rising moon, a masked boy stood frozen at the entrance of the Flouncing Frog.

Minato nearly dropped his mug. He made a half motion to get up—

—and Kakashi turned, rushing out of the bar in a swirl of dust and leaves.

"I need to go," Minato croaked, setting his drink down as he stared at the area that his student had just vacated. He rose to his feet, the movement graceful despite how off balance he felt.

"Yeah uh," Anko blinked. She looked slightly confused, but didn't let that bother her as a wide grin spread across his face, "Okay, your kid right?"

Minato barely held back a laugh. His kid? Yes, in a sense, it was.

Turning back to his conversation companion, he gave a light bow of his head. A few more people looked their way and Minato responded with a nod of acknowledgement, "Thank you for this. All of you." And then, before anyone could respond, he was out in a flash.

* * *

><p>He sought out Kakashi as soon as he stepped foot outside of the door.<p>

To be completely honest, in a sense he had forgotten about Kakashi. Kakashi was a permanent fixture in Naruto's life, and as such, Minato was able to watch the silver haired boy grow up. To Minato, he'd seen the teen just the other month.

But to Kakashi, it'd been nearly eight years, hadn't it?

He found the child in his apartment, curled up on the couch and head hidden between his knees. The jounin's chin shot up as soon as he felt the intruder enter, entire body going tense as an automatic response, only to spot the interloper and—

"So it's true then." Kakashi's eye was wide and chocolate brown. For once, he looked his age. "Minato-sensei, you're—you're—"

The words ceased completely as Kakashi's throat seemed to stutter closed. The silver haired nin appeared to be unable to say more.

So Minato took that obligation away from him.

"Kakashi," the blond said, his smile sad and gentle. He moved forward, and enveloped the younger boy in a hug. "Yes, I'm alive. Sorry for not being here for you."

He felt Kakashi stiffen in his arms. But surprisingly, the silver haired boy didn't pull away as he would have once upon a time. Instead, Kakashi's arms came up, albeit tentatively. Hesitantly, he wrapped them around Minato's shoulders, his whole body shaking as he clung on to the blond.

As if he were afraid. Afraid to lose Minato again.

Minato closed his eyes. That was what the years had done to his student. What Minato had done to him.

He'd had been so completely, utterly stupid. When Kushina died, all he'd thought about was his wish to join her. While he'd never purposefully seek his death, he hadn't tried all that hard to find a way to live either.

But Kushina wasn't the only one in the world who needed him. There was Naruto, and Kakashi. And he should have seen that then.

"I'm really," Minato whispered into his student's hair, "really sorry."

"No I—" Kakashi took a breath, and took a step back, disentangling himself from the hug. His face was smoothing out, and his voice did not waver the next time he spoke. "There is nothing to apologize for. In fact, I give my apologies for failing to welcome you, sensei. I—"

"Oh shut it." Minato grinned. "There's no need to be so formal. I still remember your pubescent days after all. Everyone thought you were just being stricter than usual by staying silent all the time, but I at least heard how your voice kept changing when you gave me your reports."

The silver haired boy's face went as red as the Sharingan implanted in his left eye. "That—that—Minato-sensei!"

Minato let out a laugh. "No need to be so ashamed. It happens to everyone, trust me."

"Even you?" Kakashi grumbled.

"Well," Minato smirked, "perhaps not me."

They shared a small smile.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard the villagers talking about the Yondaime being back," Kakashi said. "I asked some of my friends about it and they told me some story about you being in a coma this whole time and just waking up. I still couldn't believe it. But seeing you here, talking to you like this…"

"I know," Minato whispered, voice incredibly pained. "I know."

Kakashi's gaze sharpened suddenly, "Have you seen Naruto?"

"My son?" The sudden change in topic was strange, although if Minato thought about it, perhaps it wasn't. Naruto had a way of worming into everyone's hearts and thoughts. "Of course I have."

The silver haired jounin's shoulders sagged, "Good. That's—good. He doesn't deserve—I'm glad you're back, sensei."

For a moment Minato hesitated. Naruto did deserve a better life than he had gotten, but circumstances were not as Kakashi painted them as.

If anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Kakashi. But at the same time, the young shinobi had only just found out that Minato was back, and to dump the seal thing on him right this instant seemed unfair.

Minato knew how Kakashi's mind worked. There was no way that Kakashi would accept the fact that Minato had been there the whole time and chose not to reveal himself to Kakashi without explanation.

Well, no, that wasn't true. Kakashi would accept it, and he wouldn't even verbally question it. Minato was the one who wouldn't accept it.

Because Minato knew what Kakashi would think. The silver haired boy would assume that Minato either didn't care enough to let Kakashi know, or didn't trust him enough.

Neither of course, were true. And Minato would have to explain everything in order to set Kakashi straight.

And that meant explaining the fact that Minato did not reveal himself to anyone but the Sandaime was because he hadn't been planning to stay. That he didn't tell Kakashi he was there because he didn't want to make the silver haired boy lose him again. That ultimately, he'd been planning on dying again.

Minato acknowledged that those thoughts didn't sound good no matter how one were to phrase it. And at this point in time, Kakashi didn't need to be worrying about that.

He'd tell Kakashi the truth at a later period in time then, when Kakashi knew for a fact that Minato was planning to stay.

"I'm glad I'm here too," Minato whispered instead. He raised a hand, smoothing over the top of the younger nin's head. He did not know how long this would last, but he was thankful for this chance. "I just hope I can make it up to all of you."

* * *

><p>Naruto had been avoiding him.<p>

Minato was not sure why he had not caught on sooner, but now, four months after his resurrection, he was sure of it.

It had not been obvious at first, or rather, Minato came to the conclusion that Naruto had not started his habit of evading his father until three months into Minato's new life.

It had started small, with more requests to seek friends or staying late at the Academy. Originally it had been incredibly innocuous. Minato had simply thought that with Naruto settling in to the idea of Minato being around physically, the child no longer felt the need to cling and Minato was simply feeling the difference.

But by the fourth month Minato realized it was something more than that. During every conversation Naruto acted as if he couldn't wait to finish speaking to Minato. Usually Minato could pinpoint the source of his son's discomfort with ease and soothe the worries immediately, but this time he was stumped.

There was also a part of him that was hurt. Naruto could hardly be found in the house nowadays save for at meal times, and it felt more as if it were due to Minato's very presence rather than something he had done. If that were the case, it could not be fixed.

Worse, Naruto seemed to run away every time Minato tried to transition into a 'serious' talk, whether pleading exhaustion or wanting time with his friends. Minato did not have the heart to command his son to stay.

He was good at reading body language and extrapolating from the barest of information. But the mind of a child was hard to comprehend, and once an adult had grown out of such phases, it was impossible to force oneself into the mindset again.

As a non physical being, Minato had been able to follow Naruto around and basically see the every day events of his life. It was different now. Some of it was the same, but there was enough of it that was new.

Minato did not know what to do. Naruto had not truly had the option of avoiding him before, as he had been the only one who could even see Minato.

"Has he told you what it is at all?" Minato mused to Jiraiya during one of his weekly visits to his former sensei.

Jiraiya snorted into his teacup. He looked up, giving Minato an incredulous look, "Why would Naruto tell me but not his old man who couldn't do any wrong? Kid, I don't think you realize how highly he regards you."

They were currently at Jiraiya's apartment, seated across from each other at the toad sage's dining table. An antique teapot sat observer to the side, sending wafts of hot steam from its nose as the two men talked.

One might have been surprised to find an aged tea set with the most boisterous of the Sannin, but Jiraiya was a collector of fine things. His first book had been of bittersweet journey and poetic prose. His initial reason for travelling was his love for culture and the arts of the differing countries. He was not obvious about it nor did he shine much attention on such inclinations, but in his heart, Jiraiya was a lover of the classics.

"You are not often wrong, sensei," Minato said slowly, his fingers curling around the handle of his floral patterned cup, "but I think you overestimate the influence I wield over my son. He has always been a headstrong child, but kind, so I often do not need to correct him."

"Oh save it," Jiraiya said, eyes twinkling in amusement. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were fishing for compliments, since how Naruto turned out was likely mostly due to how you raised him. But unfortunately I do know better."

"So you really have no clue then?" Minato sighed.

"Now, now, I didn't say that."

Minato briefly closed his eyes at the reply, "After all these years, you're still as aggravating as ever, sensei."

Jiraiya barked out a laugh, "That should be my line! Minato, throughout your entire account you've explained to me all your observations, but have you ever asked Naruto outright what was wrong?"

Minato shook his head, "That wouldn't work—"

"And why not? Naruto's a straightforward sort of kid."

"Yes, and straightforward questions work best for his friends. But I am his father. I do not wish to take away any choice or move towards independence. I am only a guide for him."

Jiraiya stared at him.

"I forgot," Jiraiya said slowly, "about how you could be. Minato, you should be more open with your feelings."

The blonde blinked, stunned. "Ha?"

Jiraiya let out a laugh at the response, leaning back and smiling up at the ceiling. "You were resentful of the fact that I wasn't around for my godson, weren't you?"

Minato sucked in a startled breath. Even after all these years, after all his achievements, the old man could still stump him with a single sentence.

The smile playing on Jiraiya's lips as he glanced at the former Hokage was decidedly mischievous, "I certainly couldn't gauge your expressions back when only Naruto could see you, but now it's different. I practically raised you, kid. Of course I can tell what you're thinking."

Minato shook his head, still amazed. "I… I was resentful, yes, but now it's different. You've already done so much for us. And the very fact that you called Naruto your godson rather than my child already proves you're more than committed."

"And more than a little late," Jiraiya sighed. He raised his hand to forestal any protests from Minato. "I have my regrets. But anyway Minato, you should have confronted me if you were angry about it. I'm not too old to realize when I've made a mistake."

A faint tinge of red dusted Minato's cheeks as the nin turned away, "It would have been inconvenient for Naruto. I didn't want him to be a part of that."

"True," Jiraiya mused. "Or it could just be that you're as passive-aggressive as ever." He sighed then. "Look Minato, I don't seek to change your personality or whatever, but you're living with Naruto now, for real. I think you'll be a great father. Heck, you were a great father even when you didn't have a body! But, you also need to consider yourself."

"What?" Minato asked, turning back in curiosity.

"You spent your whole ghostly life taking care of Naruto," Jiraiya said, waving a had, "but now you've gotten a second chance. Not just for him, but for you, too. I know Kushina isn't here anymore—" Stab. Stab. "—but you can still be yourself. Naruto doesn't need the perfect father. Heck he'll resent that when he hits his tweens, 'cause of feelings of inadequacy or whatnot. So it's alright to be open about your feelings."

"I am open about my feelings. I always discuss how I feel about certain events or actions." Calmly and rationally. Because nobody needed a shinobi of his calibre losing control.

"Really?" The look Jiraiya gave him was full of bemusement. "I think we might be remembering two different shinobi here."

Minato couldn't help his flush as he turned away, feeling embarrassed. He did not think that his sensei had any right to invoke this kind of emotion from him. Even if he felt strongly towards something, what good was it? It could not change what would be ultimately required of him.

Given that, what good was feeling bitter and upset about it? It was better to discard those kind of emotions. It ran the same for his anger at the village's treatment of his son. It ran the same for his anguish for Kushina. He could not change the events, so there was no point in dwelling on it. He did not understand what Jiraiya wanted him to _do_.

"Sensei," Minato said, voice deathly soft, "are you only focusing on this now because there is nothing else to occupy your time?"

Jiraiya's tone was gentle, "That was cruel, Minato."

The loss of his former sensei's arm had been too great, and he'd been taken off all active duty much to his displeasure. Jiraiya had railed against the decision, but the Sandaime was adamant about the forced retirement and even the Jiraiya of the Sannin could not stand against the God of Shinobi.

Privately Minato agreed with the Sandaime's judgement, though he dared not be so forward aloud. He also did not want to see his sensei die senselessly.

The life of a ninja was in their hands, with the ability to create signs which called forth jutsu or the ability to manage multiple attacks in a fight of martial arts. With no special training in one handed spells or a bloodline limit to substitute for him, and with one arm, Jiraiya's abilities lessened by more than half. His experience and his skill still surpassed most nin, but there were now too many holes in his defence.

So Jiraiya was stuck in Konoha for the foreseeable future, until he found a suitable replacement for his spy network. In other words, whatever previous duties that had taken up his time no longer existed for Jiraiya of the Sannin.

Minato closed his eyes, "Sorry."

A sigh sounded from the other end of the table, and there was a small clacking noise as Jiraiya set down his ceramic vessel. "I am too, for hitting you with all of that at this timing. Just… think about it, alright Minato?"

Minato nodded, not opening his eyes. Slowly he raised his teacup to his lips, taking a blistering sip. They drank in silence.

* * *

><p>Minato went to search for Naruto afterwards.<p>

His son had mumbled something about meeting Kabuto in the morning and it was relatively easy to track down where they had gone after a few questions to Genrei. Naruto and his friend had decided to dedicate the day to training, even bringing along a packed lunch so that they would not have to hazard the village proper.

Minato headed to Training Area 17, a zone meant for genin level ninja and a favourite of his son's. He found the grounds scorched and upheaved, a grey haired shinobi standing at the centre of it.

Yakushi Kabuto bowed as Minato approached, "Yondaime-sama."

Minato chuckled, stopping quite a few paces from the younger boy. "I'm hardly the Yondaime right now, Kabuto-kun. I've asked the Sandaime to wait before reinstating me. I want some time with my child first."

Kabuto's eyes softened, just the slightest bit. "Then, Namikaze-san."

"Speaking of my son," Minato mused, "I wonder where he might be?"

Kabuto sighed. His eyes stayed to the line of trees on the right, before falling back to the former leader of the village.

"Thank you," Minato said sincerely. It was his first time meeting the other face to face, but he had come to know the child in the years through Naruto, and he trusted the young chunin.

"It isn't often that Naruto acts so incredibly childish," Kabuto murmured in bemusement. He inclined his body again, dipping his head low in a gesture of subservience. "I hope you two resolve this."

And without another word, the boy left. He had not been concerned about Minato's status save for verifying who he was. Truly, a rare friend.

Blue eyes turned towards the tree line, and Minato raised a brow, "Naruto, must I come get you?"

There was a muttered curse from behind the branches, and Naruto stomped out, face twisted in dissatisfaction. He crossed his arms, looking down to his feet with a wrinkle between his eyebrows that meant he was frowning. His body radiated tension.

"Yeah?" He asked rather rudely. "What's so important that it can't wait until dinner?"

Naruto was rarely impolite. Minato had taught him better than that. But it wasn't a time for admonishments.

"You are very important to me," Minato said softy. "I've just realized that perhaps my methods for dealing with whatever has come between us isn't as good as it could be."

Naruto froze.

His head snapped up, blue eyes wide as he stared at the former Hokage. He looked ready to bolt.

"Nothing's happened," he said uncomfortably.

Minato closed his eyes. It was an outright lie, but if he wished to fix the relationship between himself and his son, he could hardly call Naruto out on it.

"I see," he whispered, pained. He had thought that he might have been mistaken as a parent in not pushing at all. But it appeared it didn't matter. Naruto did not trust him.

There was a heartbeat of silence, and then—

"It's not anything bad that's happened! It's just me being stupid!"

Minato's eyes snapped open, a look of confusion rising from within, "Naru-chan?"

"It's not… it's not you," Naruto said awkwardly, shuffling his feet. "So please don't sound like that."

"Naru-chan," Minato said wryly, "you don't have to cover for me. I have noticed that you've been avoiding me for the past month. I'm new at this father thing, so if I've done some things wrong, please don't hide it from me."

"That's not it at all," Naruto said, sounding miserable. "I just… it's just that I have the smartest dad in the world! Of course he'll see through everything if I don't act tough."

Minato startled in surprise, honestly not having suspected that as a reason. And then he felt his heart warm at the praise. He truly had the best child.

A small, encouraging smile spread across his features as he finally closed the distance between them, stopping just short of the smaller blond, "I'm not sure about smartest, but it's a father's job to find out what's bothering their children."

Naruto peered up at him, wide eyed. And then he flushed and ducked his head, as if embarrassed by the proximity.

"But as you can see," Minato said gently, crouching down to be eye level with his son, "even I'm having problems. So please help me out a little."

Mutely, the child shook his head. And then he let out a breath.

"It's just… I know it's stupid but…" Naruto fidgeted. "It really is a stupid thing. I think I can probably get over it on my own."

"But you don't have to get over it on your own," Minato coaxed. "Come on Naru-chan, I promise I won't find your problem odd or weird. You know that."

"I know," Naruto sighed. "I just feel like a jerk for feeling this way."

Minato stayed silent, knowing that Naruto needed some time.

Finally, the smaller blond spoke. His voice was quiet, almost ashamed, "I just… only I used to be able to see you, but now everyone can! I really really like the fact that we can play games and things like all the other kids do with their parents, but you're not other parents. You're the Yondaime Hokage, I know that. Everybody loves you."

"Oh Naruto," Minato said with sudden, sad understanding, "are you afraid I'll abandon you?"

Naruto gave a wobbly smile, his eyes still downcast as if he couldn't bear to meet Minato's gaze. "I know that sharing is good, but right now I really don't want to share."

Minato exhaled, leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around his son in the tightest hug possible.

"Oh Naru-chan," he whispered.

Naruto stiffened.

"You don't have to be ashamed of that," Minato breathed into his son's hair. "I feel the same way. And I will never abandon you."

"Re—really?"

"No matter what happens," Minato said firmly, "there will be one role I have which will not change. I have always and will always be your dad, Naru-chan."

Naruto relaxed in his arms, his head drooping lower onto Minato's shoulder. There was a soft sniffle that Minato was sure he wasn't supposed to have heard, and then Naruto was wrapping his arms around Minato's waist to complete the hug.

They stayed like that for a while, as Naruto struggled to regain control of himself. Despite the fact that Naruto was only eight, he still had much pride.

Finally Naruto pulled away, his cheeks dusted with red, "Don't call me that anymore. It's embarrassing."

"Well you'll just have to deal with it," Minato teased, copying the child's movements as he allowed his son to take the lead. "Because I'm your father and I'm allowed to call you anything I want, and you'll always be Naru-chan to me."

"I should call you something lame too, then," Naruto practically pouted.

Minato let out a laugh, "You could certainly try. I warn you that I don't embarrass easily, though."

A wide grin bloomed across Naruto's face, "And I've managed to embarrass Jiraiya-jiji."

"Now that _is_ an accomplishment," Minato said thoughtfully. Gracefully, he rose to his full height. "Now, are we good?"

Blushing, Naruto nodded, "Yeah, we're good. Sorry."

"Don't be," Minato said with a shake of his head. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I caused a lot of… I caused a lot of misunderstanding."

"And I didn't look hard enough," Minato replied with a self-deprecating smile. Jiraiya was right after all. Minato hadn't pushed and it wasn't a good point for him.

Coming to a decision, Minato held out a hand.

"Relationships are rarely perfect," Minato said softly. "There are usually a lot of problems and a lot of mistakes even if there's a lot of love. But I want to make our relationship the best it can be. Are you willing to help me?"

Naruto looked like he was about to argue for a moment before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. And then he gave a determined nod. He took Minato's hand, smiling brightly, "Yeah."

Minato beamed.

The world wasn't perfect, but in that instant, it felt much more than he could have asked for.

He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto ducked his head and scowled up at the taller man, but there was a gleam in his eyes that told Minato the smaller blond didn't actually mind at all.

It was strange, Minato thought, that once upon a time he had planned to die when he felt he was no longer needed in his son's life. Now it wasn't about need. It was about want. Naruto, he believed, would do fine without him. His son was resilient and intelligent, and had a number of precious people who would be there for him even if Minato wasn't. Naruto had once made many declarations that he would become the Hokage of this village and Minato now had no doubt that his son would be the best that Konoha ever had.

And Minato wanted to see that day.

Minato wanted to see every day.

Naruto hadn't spoken about becoming Hokage for a long time, but that was alright. Even if Naruto were to choose the life of a civilian, Minato would be proud of him. Naruto was his little ray of sunshine and Minato wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

~Owari~

A/n: I honestly do not know what to say. It's been a tough journey, but we've made it. Your reviews and PMs, which I read but am hilariously bad at replying to, have been the best encouragement. When I first started this fic it was meant as a break from my other stuff and it was supposed to be complete fluff. I wasn't planning on continuing it but then you guys came in and now here it is, finished. So this story is written as much by you guys as it was by me.


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